Locally produced gourmet sugars are now available on the global market thanks to Export Barbados’ International Food Science Centre.
On Saturday Chief Executive Officer Mark Hill boasted of a variety of flavoured sugars and the island’s very own baking sugar during the Agrofest exhibition held at Queen’s Park, St Michael.
Praising the work of the food scientists based at the Newton Industrial Estate in Christ Church, Hill said the state agency was able to take these cotton industry products, get them standardised for the international market and developed a market for them.
Some of the products include cinnamon sugar, muscovado dark sugar and muscovado light sugar.
All of these sugars are unrefined and they are branded under Landship Foods.
Brand manager of Landship Foods Negus Sealy said the company was trying to streamline a lot of Barbadian niche products and get them ready to meet international certifications. He said the centre was efficient, it could finalise as much as 30 products in 60 seconds and the staff at the centre ensured the formulas were tested. He said the goal was to make Barbados a leading manufacturing island and push local products far and wide.
Sealy added that entrepreneurs who were not interested in developing a product but wanted to create foods for a one-off event were welcomed.
Cuban Ambassador to Barbados Yanet Stable Cárdenas (second left back row) and her team showing off Cuban products at Agrofest.
Some of the proceeds generated are donated to the Barbados Landship organisation.
The centre also had the capacity to develop branding, packaging and food requirement testing all from the click of a button. Interested people could simply send their formulas to the centre from their phones and the team would start the product development process.
Hill said the centre would soon be equipped with advanced technology and robotics where people would be able to interact with artificial intelligence and products would be created even faster.
Export Barbados is also partnering with small business owner Talicia Lewis of Happy Treats, a company that specialises in frozen tropical fruit popsicles. Through the collaboration, Lewis was able to develop a sea moss and lemon popsicle and a sea moss, sorrel and watermelon popsicle, which are now sold in some schools across the island as it is in line with the Barbados National School Nutrition Policy.
Export Barbados has also been in talks with the Cuban Embassy.
Ambassador Yanet Stable Cárdenas said this relationship was important as it reflected the commitment the governments of Cuba and Barbados have to establish stronger diplomatic ties.
She said her government already identified areas of collaboration to deepen, and knowledge exchanges have already started between the two islands.
Thanks to Export Barbados, the Cuban contingent was able to display a variety of Cuban-made products.
(SZB)
