Primed for Success Volume 3

A Fresh Approach To Business

Agriculture is identified as among the lead productive sectors in the Vincentian economy, in terms of primary production and agro-processing. Eventhough the country is well known for its bananas, accounting for upwards of 60% of the work force and 50% of merchandise exports, other crops such as cassava, sweet potatoes, peppers and tropical fruits have become a staple in the local economy.

The Ministry of Agriculture, recognised the opportunity for diversification within the sector, and undertook a seed project to explore the potential for growth in the industry; this led to the establishment of the Lauders Agro-Processing Company in 2007, which eventually became VincyFresh in 2010. In the early stages, the company focused on the production of vacuum-packed root crops, but with a new direction and change in trajectory the switch was made to value-added agro-processing. “We started as a project, so the business was well financed and somewhat equipped, but no adequate market research was conducted to see if the company was filling a true need in the market”, recalled Kemston Cato, Regional Food Technologist. We also recognised that most of the pepper sauces and seasonings being sold in St. Vincent and the Grenadines were imported, so we saw the opportunity to create local products and compete in that segment.” VincyFresh is the St. Vincent-based member of the Winfresh Group, a Saint Lucian registered consortium focused on value-added agriculture products. The company produces pepper sauce and pepper mash, seasoning, marinades, dried herbs, fruit pulps, frozen foods, sorbets, and smoothies. In addition to supplying the supermarkets and small retailers in the local market, VincyFresh products can also be found in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Tortola, and the United Kingdom. “Because we are a part of the Winfresh brand, we kept the label and used that to get into countries already familiar with the name, like Antigua, Grenada and the UK. For the others, we took a more traditional approach for our export strategy. This included making phone calls to retailers and sending them samples for distribution to their customers.” The response was positive and VincyFresh started to receive orders for their line of products. However, Kemston noted that while this approach worked initially, it was not sustainable if the company wanted

to expand globally. It was then that they made the decision to seek assistance in exporting, which resulted in establishing a relationship with the Caribbean Export Development Agency. “One of challenges we were facing was the absence of a business and marketing plan. Without this we could not train staff, identify the needs for the company, find new customers or enter new markets, so we needed help. In 2012 some representatives from Caribbean Export, were in St. Vincent meeting with firms and InvestSVG encouraged us to take advantage of the opportunity to see what the Agency had to offer. We then did some research and saw that they had helped other enterprises in the region overcome similar challenges, so we reached out with the help of InvestSVG.” In 2013, VincyFresh participated in the Brand Development and Packaging Workshop, which was conceptualized to address some of the weaknesses in regional product development and presentation. Subsequent to this, the company applied for and was awarded a grant as a part of Caribbean Export’s In-Firm Design and Branding initiative, a project that provides selected firms with the technical support and financial assistance required to strengthen their packaging design and product branding. “We learned a lot about the importance of branding and presenting our products in an attractive and appealing way. The workshop also demonstrated the significance of these components if you want to be competitive in the global market.” VincyFresh recently attended a business forum in the Cayman Islands and trade mission to the French Caribbean Outermost Regions (FCORs), and the company received a grant in the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme (DAGS). “We made quite a few contacts in the FCORs and there have been requests for some of our products. This is one of the reasons we applied for the grant, because with these new orders there is a definite need to

Primed for Success / Vol. 3 / 2014-2015

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