Jamaican Jerk Sauce Gets Award At Americas Food And Beverage Show

Jamaican jerk sauce “Barbecue Madness” under the brand Jamaica Jerk, gained the title “Best Sauce” at the 14th annual Americas Food and Beverage show which ended yesterday (Oct. 27) at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The sauce was among a large number of entrants in the category “Sauces and Condiments of the Americas” at the two-day Expo held at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Bertram and Rana Bantan of BnRs Holdings, Kingston, smiled proudly as they displayed the award among their several varieties of sauces exhibited in the Jamaica Pavilion during the two day Expo which began on Tuesday (Oct. 26). “It’s our first time at the Americas show and we are introducing a different variation to the market” he explained.

Jamaica Jerk was among the many exhibits of Jamaican manufactured products and labels on display in the Jamaican Pavilion which “created quite a buzz” according to Mrs. Berletta Forrester, Manager, Export Promotion, JAMPRO.

The response to the booth this year, has increased and improved our presence, creating a higher visibility of Jamaican products, according to Mrs. Forrester.

For the first time, Jamaican manufactured food and beverages had their own prime location named the “Jamaica Pavilion” among the 300 exhibits at the Expo. The event which is billed as the largest food and beverage show in the Western Hemisphere attracted some 6,000 participants including local and international food professionals, during its two day showing, as viewers tested a wide range of foods and beverages, and the industry related products from 27 countries in North America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean and Latin American region.

In an interview with JIS News, Mr. Banton said that Jamaica Jerk which is produced in the Pedro Plains, St. Elizabeth, tells the story of a family tradition located in the ‘bread basket’ of Jamaica. The area, he said, creates the ideal stable environment for growing Jamaica’s famous scotch bonnet peppers and other basic ingredients for producing good jerk seasoning.

The creativity and innovativeness put into the varieties of condiments and spices was testament of the authenticity and rich taste captured in the flavours as crowd pleasers converged on the booth for delectable samplings of the gourmet products.

Under the Pedro Plains Jamaica Jerk label, BnRs Holdings produces a variety of flavoured jerk sauce products with suggestive names such as Chaos Jerk, Mild Jerk, Jerk Barbeque Madness, Malicious, Aunty Katie Marinade and Hurricane, “all manufactured from indigenous products grown in St. Elizabeth” Mr. Banton emphasized. He further explained that an additional six labels for new and enticing products by BnRs, are currently being developed by Jamaica’s Scientific Research Council (SRC).

Although they have participated in other food trade shows worldwide, The BnRs team was excited with the response from this event as they sought to increase market awareness while exploring new ones.

The range of products exhibited under the Jamaica Pavilion resulted in several inquiries and leads and drew favorable comments from visitors. Mr. Banton commended the team effort established with JAMPRO in its objective to support local manufacturers and producers, small, medium and large, as Jamaica continued to gain more visibility in foreign markets.

The Jamaican group of companies in the Pavilion also included LASCO, Worthy Park Estate Limited, Grace Foods International, Creation Foods, The Jerk Place and Restaurant Limited, Wisynco, and Coffee Solutions, all showcasing a variety of indigenous food products – coffees, teas, coconut water and juices, packaged meals and snack items, sauces and condiments, alcoholic items, and agro-processed foods.

Jamaica’s Consul General Sandra Grant Griffiths who participated in the Expo congratulated the winning team from BnRs Holdings. She also commended the Jamaican team which has grown indicating an interest in Jamaica gaining its fair share of the overseas market, she indicated.

The Consul General also commended the JAMPRO team for its efforts in showcasing the ‘Brand Jamaica’ label through a very impressive designed and booth display – Jamaica Pavilion.