Looking to capitalize on the demand from Hartford’s extensive West Indian population, several mainstream grocery stores in the area have started to feature more Jamaican products on their shelves.
There have long been a number of smaller grocery stores and bakeries in the Hartford area that serve the third-highest concentration of West Indians in the United States. Now the Caribbean Trade Council, formed by the mayor’s office three years ago, is working to encourage the boom in Jamaican grocery products in the aisles of grocers such as Shaw’s, Stop & Shop and Price Chopper.
“We’re facilitators,” said trade council president Andrew Lawrence. “We don’t get involved with the day-to-day operations, but we find the need here and introduce the necessary business entities to whomever they want to speak in the respective islands.”
The New York-based Price Chopper has carried Jamaican products since its Connecticut stores entered the state eight years ago. But the number of Jamaican goods has increased greatly in the past few months — enough so that an entire section of its Windsor store will soon be dedicated entirely to Caribbean goods. The store has always had an ethnic aisle for Polish, Italian, German and kosher products, but the large presence of West Indians in the area has prompted the store to expand its products.
“There’s probably about 75 different items now,” said Gary Meehan, Connecticut events coordinator for Price Chopper, adding the Windsor store is working with the trade council to host a Caribbean food day next month. “We figured with such a large community we needed to bring in products that would make them happy.”
It’s not just the native West Indians that have the craving for Caribbean products. Increased tourism to the Caribbean also has inspired a greater interest, said Yvon Alexander, trade council vice president of distribution.
“Over the last few years, you’re seeing some of the mainstream businesses are getting into the Caribbean products because they realize there’s a market for it, like the evolution of Asian products, then Mexican products,” he said.
Though Lawrence said he has been pleased with the greater availability of Caribbean products in the past few months, his organization is working toward bringing more Caribbean goods into Hartford.
Just a few months ago, the trade council hosted a meeting of representatives from several Caribbean countries in an effort to increase collaboration on both sides. That meeting set up Price Chopper with a Jamaican company looking to sell its products in Hartford.
The biggest challenge, however, remains in trying to make Hartford a distribution center for Caribbean products, which still travel the typical route through New York or Boston. Alexander has been working toward having products come directly into Hartford, but that will be impossible as long as Bradley International Airport doesn’t have the necessary customs office for food inspections.
Until then, Alexander is trying to attract Connecticut distributors who would be willing to import the Caribbean items and ship them in from New York or Boston. Without that, it would be too expensive for most grocery stores to buy directly from Caribbean companies, Alexander said.
“We’re finding these supermarkets are not interested in buying direct,” Alexander said. “By getting a state distributor, you eliminate a distribution layer and you can control supply better and have better pricing and offer that to the public.”
