La semaine dernière (du 20 au 22 avril), Caribbean Export est allé de l’avant en traçant sa nouvelle voie de soutien au secteur privé surinamais.

Une mission intensive de trois jours au Suriname pour faire avancer rapidement la programmation est intervenue dans la foulée des discussions récemment tenues avec la délégation de haut niveau qui s’est rendue au siège de Caribbean Export à la Barbade le 7 avril 2022.

L’équipe de Caribbean Export a poursuivi les discussions avec SE Rishma Kuldipsingh – Ministre des affaires économiques, de l’entrepreneuriat et de l’innovation technologique et SE Parmanand Sewdien – Ministre de l’agriculture, de l’élevage et de la pêche et leurs équipes respectives. Au cours de la mission, l’équipe a également rencontré des responsables du ministère de l’Éducation, de la Science et de la Culture et du ministère des Finances, de l’Association du commerce et de l’industrie du Suriname et d’autres pour discuter des domaines prioritaires de l’agriculture, du commerce et de l’investissement.

Caribbean Export a convenu de plusieurs domaines de soutien, notamment la commande d’une étude sur le potentiel d’exportation de l’industrie de la volaille, l’avancement des discussions sur le tout premier Forum virtuel sur l’investissement du Suriname, la formation sur l’intelligence du marché pour les organisations de soutien aux entreprises et l’assistance pour leur Forum des industries créatives en novembre 2022. . Les membres de l’équipe ont également partagé leurs conseils d’experts sur les opportunités d’investissement dans l’emballage et les produits de la Suriname Investment & Trade Agency.

Le Dr Damie Sinanan , responsable de la compétitivité et de la promotion des exportations, s’est dit satisfait du niveau des progrès réalisés au cours de la courte visite et a déclaré que « de nouvelles initiatives de programmation axées sur le renforcement des capacités du secteur privé surinamais seraient exécutées dès juillet 2022 ».

L’équipe technique dirigée par le Dr Damie Sinanan comprenait Suzette Hudson , conseillère principale – Promotion des investissements et Mikaela Stoute – agente de recherche.

Suivez Caribbean Export sur Twitter pour les mises à jour.

« Nous sommes ravis d’intensifier la collaboration avec le Suriname pour améliorer la compétitivité à l’exportation de son secteur privé et attirer des investissements directs étrangers dans le pays. » déclare M. Deodat Maharaj – Directeur exécutif de l’Agence caribéenne de développement des exportations (Caribbean Export).

M. Maharaj a fait ces remarques, le 7 avril 2022, alors que Caribbean Export accueillait une délégation de haut niveau du Suriname dirigée par SE Albert R Ramdin – ministre des Affaires étrangères, du Commerce international et de la Coopération internationale à son siège à Baobab Towers, Bridgetown, Barbade.

La délégation comprenait également SE Armand Achaibersingh – Ministre des finances et de la planification et SE Parmanand Sewdien – Ministre de l’agriculture, de l’élevage et de la pêche ainsi que des membres du corps diplomatique surinamais et des représentants du secteur privé.

Il a été convenu que Caribbean Export fournira un soutien au Suriname dans plusieurs domaines clés au cours des 6 à 8 prochains mois. Il s’agit notamment d’une assistance pour renforcer la capacité de promotion des investissements ; soutien direct aux entreprises commerciales; soutien au secteur créatif et aux exigences du marché pour permettre la pénétration de nouveaux marchés.

Pour accélérer cette collaboration, il a été décidé qu’une mission technique de Caribbean Export se rendra au Suriname la semaine du 18 au 22 avril 2022.

Au nom du Suriname, le ministre Ramdin a remercié Caribbean Export pour son engagement constructif et a convenu de la voie à suivre, notant que « Caribbean Export est hautement nécessaire… alors que nous essayons de relancer notre économie. [and] l’exportation est une partie importante de cela. » Il a poursuivi : « … Caribbean Export peut soutenir le secteur privé du Suriname de plusieurs manières… dans l’assistance technique, le partage d’informations, l’assistance sur le terrain ainsi que l’aide à l’organisation de notre agence de promotion des exportations.

L’entrepreneur saint-lucien Gidden Augustin a toujours rêvé de créer sa propre entreprise après avoir grandi dans la ferme de ses parents et vu son père gérer l’entreprise familiale.

Gidden a d’abord envisagé une carrière d’architecte, mais a été « mordu par le virus informatique » après avoir terminé ses niveaux « A » en 1992 et décroché son premier emploi au conglomérat caribéen JQ Charles Ltd.

« JQ Charles était la deuxième plus grande entreprise de Sainte-Lucie à l’époque après le gouvernement », se souvient Gidden.

« J’ai travaillé dans le département informatique naissant et j’ai aidé à créer et à déployer le premier système de point de vente pendant que nous informatisions nos processus et que nous abandonnions les caisses enregistreuses à l’ancienne. J’avais un bon patron qui m’a inspiré, travailler avec lui m’a vraiment intéressé à l’informatique.

Quatre ans plus tard, Gidden a quitté son emploi pour étudier l’informatique à l’Université des Antilles. Il a obtenu son diplôme avec mention en 1999 et est retourné chez JQ Charles en tant qu’administrateur système tout en développant son portefeuille de conseil en informatique.

« J’ai en fait dessiné le logo de mon entreprise lorsque j’étais encore employé chez JQ Charles parce que je savais que je ne voulais pas passer toute ma vie à être un employé », explique Gidden.

« Je faisais du conseil en tant qu’activité parallèle jusqu’en 2005, date à laquelle je me suis lancé à mon compte. Je dois dire que les six premiers mois ont été difficiles, car je n’avais pas de clientèle établie et je me demandais régulièrement « à quoi je pensais ? ». Mais finalement, j’ai eu plus de clients grâce au bouche-à-oreille.

Faits rapides

• Le marché des TIC devrait valoir plus de 5 000 milliards de dollars (US) en 2021 et près de 6 000 milliards de dollars (US) d’ici 2023 ( Statista.com ).

• La valeur des exportations mondiales de services TIC a atteint 676 milliards de dollars (US) en 2020 ( UNCTAD.org ) .

• Le marché des TIC est généralement défini comme englobant les technologies liées aux réseaux informatiques et téléphoniques, ainsi que les logiciels, le matériel et les services pertinents ( Statista.com ).

• Les services TIC ont atteint près de 14 % des exportations mondiales totales de services en 2020 ( UNCTAD.org ).

• L’indice de développement des TIC 2017 compilé par l’Union internationale des télécommunications (UIT) a classé Saint-Kitts-et-Nevis comme le pays le plus technologiquement avancé de la région des Caraïbes.

Gidden s’est lentement construit une réputation d’excellence grâce à des recommandations personnelles et a officiellement enregistré son entreprise, appelée « islandTEK », en 2011.

Certains des principaux services d’islandTEK incluent la conception de réseaux câblés et sans fil ; Conception de système PBX ; Installation et maintenance de vidéosurveillance ; assistance informatique sur site et à distance ; Maintenance et réparation d’ordinateurs ; et conseil en informatique et gestion de projet.

Gidden et ses deux employés à temps partiel visent à fournir aux clients « des solutions technologiques à valeur ajoutée de haute qualité qui améliorent leur productivité et leur compétitivité, et stimulent la croissance stratégique de l’entreprise ».

Il ajoute : « Nous fournissons un ensemble de services sur mesure et adapté aux besoins spécifiques des clients. Une partie de notre philosophie est que nous ne sommes pas en concurrence sur les prix, mais sur la qualité. Donc, nous ne sommes pas les moins chers mais quand on propose une solution c’est pour la vie. C’est une solution permanente; pas un écart d’arrêt.

Au fil des ans, Gidden a travaillé avec de grands et petits clients résidentiels et commerciaux, des ministères et des agences internationales.

L’une de ses réalisations dont il est le plus fier à ce jour a été d’être consultant en informatique pour le Conseil international de cricket (ICC) lors de la Coupe du monde de cricket 2007 et de la Coupe du monde T20 2010 à Sainte-Lucie. Le ministère de l’Agriculture de Sainte-Lucie, St Lucia Distillers Ltd et l’Autorité des ports aériens et maritimes de Sainte-Lucie figurent également parmi les clients d’islandTEK.

L’objectif à long terme de Gidden est de positionner islandTEK comme « la société de services informatiques haut de gamme incontournable de la région ». Il vise également à améliorer ses capacités d’exportation après avoir participé à divers ateliers organisés par l’Agence caribéenne de développement des exportations, y compris le programme « Services Go Global (SGG) » , qui lui a permis de « repenser ma vision de l’entreprise et de créer un projet de plan d’exportation ». .

En 2018, Gidden a été sélectionné par Caribbean Export pour faire partie d’une délégation de trois membres de Sainte-Lucie pour assister à la 8e convention annuelle ALES à Saint-Domingue, en République dominicaine. Cet événement a créé des opportunités de réseautage avec les pays d’Amérique latine et lui a ouvert les yeux sur ce qu’il faudrait pour devenir un acteur mondial dans le secteur des TIC et des services.

Gidden a également été impliqué dans le programme INTERREG Trade Enhancement for the Eastern Caribbean (TEECA) qui est facilité par la Chambre de commerce de la Martinique, la Commission de l’OECO et Caribbean Export.

Il déclare : « La TEECA encourage les entreprises de l’OECO à faire plus d’affaires avec des entreprises dans les territoires des Caraïbes françaises et nous établissons de bons liens avec des entreprises françaises grâce à ce programme.

Malgré un récent ralentissement des projets à grande échelle en raison de la pandémie de COVID-19, Gidden espère que plusieurs initiatives en cours seront lancées en 2022. Il dit que son objectif à court terme pour la nouvelle année est de « revenir dans le noir » et d’embaucher deux autres employés hautement qualifiés.

Le conseil de Gidden aux propriétaires d’entreprises des Caraïbes, surtout en cette période incertaine, est de « garder la foi » et de « n’abandonnez pas ».

Il ajoute : « Optez toujours pour de petites victoires parce que cela maintient votre moral et ne prenez pas « non » pour une réponse, car quelqu’un finira par dire « oui » ! »

Earlier this week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised its forecast for global growth in 2022, projecting a revised figure of 4.4% which is a 0.5% reduction from the estimate it made in October 2021. It is expected that the developing world will be most affected by this contraction.

This news from the IMF comes whilst the coronavirus pandemic continues to take its toll on the global economy and wreak havoc in our region as it enters its third year. Simultaneously, the clock is ticking on action to tackle the climate crisis. The steps we take now will determine how our region will evolve in response to these urgent challenges shaping the global trade landscape.

In short, the world is changing fast and so must we. Given the clear emergence of new powerhouse economies in places like Asia, we need to create new opportunities in these new times, whilst consolidating existing markets.

Since independence, the Caribbean has relied on traditional markets for goods and services, focused largely on the United States (US), European Union (EU) and Canada. According to the International Trade Centre (ITC), the CARIFORUM Caribbean’s (CARICOM and the Dominican Republic) largest export market in 2020 was the US, with an export value of approximately US$10.583 billion, followed by the EU, valued at US$2.8 billion in the same year. We buy more than we sell in these markets, according to ITC data. Consequently, we remain acutely vulnerable to changes in the economies of these major trading partners.

It is evident that Asia is a new global growth pole, with some claiming that this is the Asian century. We have a well-established commercial relationship with China, but there are other big opportunities on the continent. For example, India, like China, belongs to the world’s largest 20 economies or the G20 group. However, our exports to India and a market of over 1.4 billion people amounted to an estimated US$413.4 million in 2020.

Similarly, Indonesia, another G20 country and the world’s fourth largest country in terms of population, with an estimated 270 million people receives a paltry US$23.8 million in exports from CARIFORUM countries, according to the ITC. Both India and Indonesia offer opportunity, as well as the lucrative Japanese market.

Rising Africa offers huge trade potential. Yet, despite historical and cultural ties, in 2020 CARIFORUM countries exported just US$595.4 million to Africa.

However, we cannot only look to non-traditional markets in Asia and Africa. We need to look right next door as well and intensify trade with neighbouring countries in Latin America. In 2020, we exported US$4.6 billion, but imported US$8.9 billion the same year. Latin America represents a good possibility for CARIFORUM exporters, particularly in the services sector, including tourism, given that Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico are also G20 countries.

There are some clear steps required to enter or grow in these new markets. For distant and large markets, we need to accept that branding as individual jurisdictions will produce sub-optimal results. Therefore, our countries need to pool resources and promote “Brand Caribbean†or goods and services that are “Absolutely Caribbeanâ€. Having worked in both Asia and Africa, my experience is that with some exceptions, we are simply not well known as individual jurisdictions in much of Asia and Africa. A “Brand Caribbean†positions us much better.

Governments have a vital role to play in advancing the trade and investment agenda of our region. This includes a stronger focus on economic diplomacy, ensuring missions prioritise trade and investment. To make inroads in these new markets, it is essential for us to pool resources and organise joint diplomatic missions with a focus on trade and investment in these countries. The cost of having separate and individual overseas representation is just too high for most of our countries. The CARICOM decision to establish a CARICOM mission in Kenya is a good example and a step in the right direction.

At the end of the day these steps will not yield the maximum results unless we support the establishment of business-to-business linkages with these new markets. Our business support organisations such as chambers of commerce and exporters association have a valuable role to play connecting with their counterparts in Asia and Latin America. It is about businesspeople connecting with their peers. Finally, we need to ramp up our collection of data to give a more in-depth understanding of the trading opportunities in key and niche sectors.

In summary, 2022 must be the year of action. Doing nothing or more of the same cannot be an option. Our people deserve better, and our emphasis must be to create jobs and opportunities for them.

In the community of Las Lajas, in the municipality of Altamira, Puerto Plata, five women, at the time belonging to the now defunct Ana Idalia Navarro Mothers’ Club, agreed to seek ways of generating income without having to be employed. Silvia García, Benita Canela, Milagros Marte, France Altagracia Capellán and Ana Cecilia García, decided in 1990 to sell handcrafted chocolate.

They would go from house to house to offer their cocoa balls. The profits were about 500 pesos per month (equivalent to about 38 dollars at the time), on average 100 pesos for each, an income that helped sustain their homes, and, most importantly for the women, they were able to devote time to raising their children.

After their efforts they managed to form an association, which they called Ana Idalia (Lala) Navarro, in honor of the leader and member of the former Club, through which they could generate employment and contribute to the development of the community. Prior to the first year, it received aid of 500 thousand pesos (about 3,750 dollars at the time) from the Spanish organization for development cooperation, Intermon, an affiliated of the Oxfam confederation. With this contribution they bought the land where their facilities are currently operating, and machinery: a mill to grind cocoa, a crusher and a stainless steel table. The product formerly called Ana Idalia Chocolate became Chocolala.

This economic boost strengthened production capacities and expanded the range of distribution of the cocoa balls. In addition, two other products, derived from maize (corn), were incorporated: The classic gofio (a snack made from toasted corn and ground with sugar) and gofio with cinnamon, which would later reach the gondola displays of the supermarkets of the Centro Cuesta Nacional, CCN, one of the most important commercial chains in the country.

By 2013, the number of women in the company had increased from five to 12, and its natural product portfolio totaled seven, thanks to the consultancy of the Institute of Innovation in Biotechnology and Industry, IIBI, and the economic and technical support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). In that year, Chocolala had access to a “soft” loan through a business support programme, which allowed it to expand its machinery inventory as well as its productive capacity.

“Before Chocolala, the only option we had was to work in family homes, doing domestic work in Santiago and Puerto Plata, away from our children. Now we work here, we take money home without being away,” says Nelfi García, the general manager.

Quality standards for export

One of the characteristics of Chocolala products is the care with which the raw material is chosen and the high levels of food safety. The cocoa variety used is the Hispaniola variety. It is less acidic than the Sanchez variety, and it produces a seed with a fruity flavor.

Chocolala is part of a group of five Dominican companies, selected by Caribbean Export in the Haiti-Dominican Republic binational cocoa/chocolate value chain project, funded by the European Union, EU, through the 11th European Development Fund.

Cooperation with the EU has enabled Chocolala to obtain a vertical powder packing machine, improving the efficiency of the packing process and measurements, and it has also enabled access to technical assistance for the process of obtaining export records, ultimately improving competitiveness.

Invaluable contribution

With the vertical powder packing machine, the products have been able to reach the retail sector (grocery stores or rum shops), as it has a dosing screw conveyor, with programmable pre-cutting and a packing capacity of 40 bags per minute. In spite of that, the General Manager emphasizes training in administrative procedures and levels of efficiency in the production value chain. This donation has also enabled the company to respond to its growing demand, and thus to hire more permanent employees, which to date total 20 (16 women and 4 men).

Women with leadership skills

In Chocolala, producing chocolate and other items derived from cocoa and maize is not only an opportunity for work, but an expression of inclusion and pay equity exercise. “Sometimes, when we have large orders, the spouses come and help us. They become a part of our work, in order to be able to complete it”, assures Nelfi, who notes that this attitude demonstrates the important role within the family of the work that women do.

They also created the Ecological Trail, a space to promote tourism, where visitors come into contact with the cocoa plantations and the natural attractions of the area. This undertaking has also created new sources of work.

Benefits that impact everyone

A fund has been created with part of the resources produced by the routes of the Ecological Trail, from which loans with very low interest rates are provided to the collaborators, if they have special needs.

On the other hand, a part of the company’s profits is earmarked for the Association to buy essential goods, so that the members may obtain them at wholesale price.

In addition to helping the members, the Association provides assistance to vulnerable communities. Many have had their houses repaired or have been given assistance to alleviate deficiencies typical of their condition.

The next frontier: The international market

The initiative of those five women who dreamed of a livelihood within their community 30 years ago is now a consolidated company that has drawn more than an exclamation of surprise from the unbelievers who only saw illusions during the years of hard work. These aspirations today are the building blocks in which an average of 24 quintals (2.4 tons) of cocoa are processed weekly for the production of products, the raw material being brought from community producers. Previously, they did not exceed more than two quintals per week.

The women of Chocolala have responded with creativity and with the right attitude to the lack of opportunities in a rural community in which traditionally the woman has only had two options: being a housewife or going to work in Santiago or Puerto Plata. Now, with the support and technical consultancy of Caribbean Export and allies such as the European Union, Chocolala has a firm eye on the export trade.

Transforming a brand into a household name is not easy.

You need a product that is almost universally liked; a track record of innovation and reliability; a reputation for excellence; and a deep connection with your customers which earns their loyalty and trust.

In Suriname, there is one brand that has ticked all of these boxes and more – Wippy peanut butter.

Produced by the Willemsberg family since 1980, Wippy was the brainchild of Clifton Willemsberg, whose father Leonel originally started a business in 1961 to trade in various food items including white sugar and shelled peanuts.

When some items became less profitable the company needed to diversify. Clifton suggested manufacturing peanut butter because they had been working with local peanut butter producers for years, and also already had easy access to a high quality raw material.

The name Wippy was chosen and an eye-catching green parrot named ‘Willy’ (derived from Willemsberg) was conceived as a mascot to boost marketing and promotion.

Wippy peanut butter soon won the hearts of the Surinamese people and is currently sold in over 1,500 shops and supermarkets across the country.

Now, more than four decades since the first jar rolled off the production line, the company is managed by Leonel’s daughter Susan Tjong A Hung-Willemsberg and her niece Genevieve Radjiman-Willemsberg (Clifton’s daughter) who is getting ready to run the business.

Susan believes Wippy has remained popular over the years mainly because it has stayed true to its main objective which is to produce top quality peanut butter with natural ingredients.

We don’t have just one but many unique selling points, Genevieve adds.

We have a minimum of 95% and a maximum of 97% of roasted peanuts in our products. We have no cholesterol or trans fats. The product is packaged in glass jars which keeps it fresh and tasty and guarantees a longer shelf life. We also have a spicy version and our diet line is vegan friendly.

Product innovation has undoubtedly helped to keep Wippy ahead of its competitors. There are now six types of Wippy peanut butter on the market including classic, crunchy, and hot. The sugar-free version, which is sweetened with all-natural stevia rather than sugar, was introduced mainly because Susan is diabetic.

Wippy has also been successfully exported to French Guinea, Barbados, and the Netherlands. Susan says the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) was particularly instrumental in helping Willemsberg get into the European market (although exports to the Netherlands are currently on hold).

She states: When we wanted to get into the Netherlands, Caribbean Export’s consultants helped us with marketing, training with labelling, research for potential distributors, and trademark registration.

Susan and Genevieve also recently met with a distributor based in Guyana and they have some advice for Caribbean businesses who are trying to export.

Susan suggests: If the company is ready for export, they should take the time to look for a reliable and capable distributor.

Do your homework with regards to the new market. Know your consumers, focus points, their preferences, and which marketing strategies you should use. When you have all this information than you are more than 50% on your way to success.

Genevieve adds: We all want to make more sales for our company. But it is equally important to make these sales with the correct match. Producer/distributor relationships aren’t any different from other relationships. It’s all about teamwork. The producer delivers quality goods and the distributor promotes and sells these goods accordingly.

Maintaining production capacity to fulfil local and export demands is one of Willemsberg’s major challenges, and this was recently made worse during the COVID-19 pandemic when 13 out of 30 staff testing positive for the virus, causing a shutdown of the production facility for five weeks.

The closure led to a total loss of almost $93,000 (USD) in 2021 and $52,000 (USD) of that was from a decrease in sales. The rest of the loss consists of operating costs, employee costs, and rent, Genevieve explains.

She adds: At the moment, 71% of our employees have been vaccinated, but 29% are still not cooperating. It is a big challenge to get the remaining group on board. Conspiracy theories and religion play a huge role in their decision making. It is also a challenge to recruit new employees who are vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the Willemsbergs remain focused on sustaining Wippy peanut butter’s position as one of the leaders in its market. Their short term goals include improving factory productivity; increasing exports; continuing market research to better know their consumers and competitors; and developing a new product.

In the next three to five years, they are also aiming to build a new production facility, and are already scouting for a new location. They also want to buy new machinery after previous Caribbean Export grants went towards two new machines – a shrink tunnel that wraps bottles into trays and a double head filling machine.

Susan is also preparing to handover complete control of the business to Genevieve by the start of 2022. When asked how she feels about stepping aside, Susan states: I am sure that Genevieve will do her utmost. I’m going to train her on as much as I can and then she will do the rest.

Genevieve reveals that Susan has already set her a lot of homework before the final date arrives and says she knows that there is a lot of work ahead.

She adds: Susan has about 45 years of experience and you cannot buy that in any store. You have to have patience and stay open to all the guidance and training that she can give.

I am optimistic because it’s a family business and we need to continue the family legacy.

Fresh turmeric paste from Belize will soon be available on shop shelves in Europe after Caribbean company Naledo signed a deal with Swiss-based distributor Sparkling Revolutions SA.

Naledo’s award-winning wildcrafted, whole root turmeric paste called ‘Truly Turmeric’ will now be seen in natural health food stores and other outlets throughout Switzerland, Germany, and France.

The partnership between Naledo and Sparkling Revolutions took three years to develop. The companies connected in October 2018 at SIAL – the world’s largest food innovation exhibition – which Naledo was able to attend because of support from the Caribbean Export Development Agency and the European Union.

At SIAL, Naledo was shortlisted for the coveted product innovation award and Chief Operating Officer, Nareena Switlo, says the event led to several new business contacts including Sebastian Möbius at Sparkling Revolutions.
Nareena recalls: “SIAL is the largest event we’ve been to so far. Our booth was beautifully set up and Caribbean Export made it easy to participate. It peaked peoples’ interest and confirmed that consumers in the European market would enjoy our product.

“Sebastian reached out to me in November 2018. We started chatting on email about our products and business relationships and he was really interested in us. But then COVID hit and everything was put on pause.

“In 2020, when we won the ‘New Product of the Year’ award at Food Matters Live in the UK, we sent out a newsletter to our subscribers and customers. Sebastian reached out again to say that he was still interested, and he had some clients who wanted the product, and last week we got our first official purchase order.”

The first pallet heading to Europe will contain 1,500 bottles of Naledo’s flagship ‘Truly Turmeric’ paste in two flavours – original and black pepper. The producer has also developed a smaller 125g bottle specifically for the European market.

The company is hoping to capitalise on the current worldwide interest in healthy eating. Research shows that the global natural food and drinks market was valued at $79.1 million (US) in 2016 and is estimated to reach $191.9 million (US) by 2023 – a compound annual growth rate of 17.6%.

Turmeric itself has also become increasingly popular because of its numerous proven health benefits. It positively impacts heart disease and high blood pressure and is also a strong anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and antioxidant.

‘Truly Turmeric’ uses the fresh whole root of the spice to ensure its natural compounds remain potent and intact. The ingredients list for the original flavour are whole root turmeric, cold pressed coconut oil, fresh lime juice, and sea salt. Black pepper cultivated in Belizean forests is added to the black pepper variety.

Nareena says: “I do think that with recent events in the world, people are becoming more aware of what they put into their body, especially in terms of healthy food.

“I also think that people in Europe are expanding their taste buds and a lot of people from different countries have moved there so the diverse food market is growing. It’s a prime time for us to jump in and be the leader in turmeric in the EU.”

Nareena also believes the company’s unique origin story, its promise to treat suppliers fairly, and its commitment to sustainable environmental practices, will be important to consumers in Europe.

Naledo was founded in 2016 by Nareena’s mother Umeeda as a social enterprise. The company focuses on youth entrepreneurship and regenerative agriculture and is a certified B Corporation which means it “balances purpose and profit”.

The small business employs eight young people to manage its factory and works directly with 300 small-scale growers in Toledo, Belize. It also pays its farmers 6 times the fair trade price for tumeric.

“I think there are certain things that we lead on which nobody else can replicate,” Nareena states.

“We do have some ‘contacts turned competitors’ but the quality of their product is not the same as ours and they don’t have our story. What differentiates our product is that we are still the best on flavour and they cannot replicate the way that we monitor and evaluate our environmental impact.”

Nareena also believes that their new distribution partner, Sparkling Revolutions, appreciates the history of Naledo and the company’s mission to invest in education, health care, and improved nutrition for the families and communities that it works with in Belize.

“Sebastian really understands the beauty of the product from the branding side and the story,” Nareena says.

“If you have a unique product, it’s not going to be for everyone, and that’s OK. You have to know who believes in it as much as you do. He really believes in us and that he can sell the product which is a good start to a business relationship.”

She adds: “We all know that the EU is one of the largest markets in the world and we’re hoping that this one pallet will lead to full container loads. In the next year we want our paste to be sold all across Europe.

“The price seems right so we just have to see what the consumer thinks of it.”