by Anne-Marie Whittaker, Bridgetown, Barbados

Two recent events, the Fine Food Show in Toronto, Canada and Caribbean Week, an in-store promotion at The Food Emporium in New York, presented Caribbean food manufacturers with the opportunity to showcase their products in North America.

Caribbean products from Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, and Jamaica vied for the attention of a relatively small audience at the Fine Food Show which took place at the end of May. While the products did manage to attract a lot of interest, it was generally felt that the show was on the whole, very poorly attended.

The Fine Food Show focused on gourmet products and the number of exhibitors was a fair indication of the size of the Canadian Gourmet Industry, which is in its infancy when compared to the U.S.A. From my experience there, Canadian buyers seemed to focus more on the cost than the content of a given item. Nevertheless, the interest in Caribbean products continues to be high and Caribbean manufacturers with the right product and price combination stand a very good chance of gaining a foothold in this expanding market.

It was then off to the U.S.A. for the in-store promotion of Caribbean products in The Food Emporium supermarket chain. This was the third year for this event, which was organized by the Caribbean Export Development Agency in conjunction with The Food Emporium, a part of the large A & P group. Thirty-seven products representing manufacturers like Bello from Dominica, Morne Delice from Grenada, and Mama Ines from the Dominican Republic, formed part of an impressive and diverse selection from nine Caribbean countries. The promotion included in-store cookouts by three Caribbean chefs specially flown in for the occasion . These chefs demonstrated "fusion" cuisine, which is the blending of traditional American and European cuisine with Caribbean flavours, and many people were intrigued by the results. Exciting fare like "Tortolini in Love Apple Sauce," a traditional Italian staple smothered in Busha Browne's spicy tomato (love apple) sauce and "Sunshine Salad," a Tropical Fruit plate with shrimp in a vinaigrette dressing made from Native Treasures Tamangy Chutney, proved irresistible to those attending. The excitement was reflected by the store employees, who have long been recognized as valuable partners in product promotion.

The importance of in-store promotions as the launching pad for Caribbean products has not escaped the organizers, and the respect that The Food Emporium commands in the supermarket arena is regarded as a significant step towards their future acceptance by other chains. Consumer education continued with a radio show from The Food Emporium store in Greenwich, Connecticut where listeners were introduced to delicacies like Duckanoo, a dessert made with coconut and corn meal steamed in banana leaves, as well as Jerk Tofu.

Topping off the promotion was an appearance on the Television Food Network by Jamaican Chef Jackie Niederhauser, where she once more demonstrated "Fusion Cuisine," this time to a much wider audience.

As more U.S.-manufactured products use Caribbean themes in their labeling, the challenge for Caribbean manufacturers will be to educate the public continuously on how to recognize and use authentic Caribbean products.

Anne-Marie Whittaker has run her Barbados-based company, Native Treasures, for over two years. Her products, which include Tropical Inferno sauce, Tamangy Chutney, and Bassa Bassa Sauce, have been on American supermarket shelves for more than a year, and are picked up by more stores all the time.