A three-decade battle by the popular Jamaican brand Grace Kennedy to have its canned and packaged foods become fixtures on the supermarket shelves of the major retail outlets in the United States is beginning to bear fruit according to a recent report on the news service Caribbean 360 website monitored by this newspaper. Long-regarded as a leading player in the regional food distribution sector, Grace Kennedy’s cans and packages of products ranging from sauces to coconut water can now be found on the shelves of major United States supermarket chains including Publix, Walmart and Target.
Buoyed by the breakthrough Grace Kennedy reportedly plans to consolidate the presence of the Caribbean brand on the west coast of the US, particularly in California
The company says that its market research indicates that its products are in demand among Hispanics in the US and that it is this market that will be targeted in the future.
The company’s surveys have also shown that visitors to Jamaica seek out the Grace brand in Florida.
To cater for its increased market penetration is the US Grace Kennedy is to appoint a distributor in the US to promote the brand as part of a significant investment in consolidating the company’s US market.
Grace Kennedy’s breakthrough on the US market is regarded as a hopeful sign for other Caribbean brands which have, over the years, invested heavily in marketing regional products, notably rums, in Europe and North America. Barbados’ Mount Gay and Jamaica’s Wray & Nephew have enjoyed sume measure of success in the US and European markets as have been rums manufactured by Banks DIH Ltd and Demerara Distillers Ltd. In Guyana.
Recently, Banks Chairman Clifford Reis announced that the company would be accelerating its efforts to promote its XM and Banks brands on the international market.
