Caribbean Food Week delivered a taste of the tropical

Following on from the first ever Caribbean Food Week in 2012, Grace Foods UK, the UK’s number 1 supplier of Caribbean food and drink*, this year encouraged Brits to try the exotic flavours of the Caribbean once again.

The second Caribbean Food Week took place from 19-25 August, the week before the Notting Hill Carnival, and tied in with the company’s biggest ever NPD drive.

As part of Caribbean Food Week there was nationwide sampling and promotions across the major supermarkets and a dedicated advertising campaign. As well as activity on social media including Caribbean recipes and prize competitions, outdoor food festival events took place throughout the summer.

The campaign was fronted by leading Caribbean celebrity chef, Chef Hasan DeFour, whose reputation spans from Trinidad to the UK. As well as accompanying star chef Gary Rhodes on his TV series ‘Rhodes across the Caribbean’, he also appeared on the Hairy Bikers’ ‘Best of British’ programme (BBC2) in April.

“Chef Hasan is becoming increasingly familiar to consumers as a master in Caribbean cooking,” says Grace Foods UK Managing Director Ryan Mack. “He was key in showing people how easy it is to cook delicious Caribbean food, thereby encouraging trial of Caribbean products and boosting sales in the category.”

Following last year’s successful Week, leading rice brand Tilda and top Caribbean restaurants across the UK came on board as partners of Caribbean Food Week for 2013.

The activity tied in with the company’s biggest ever NPD drive. Throughout 2013, a series of major product launches was rolled out, across the market-leading Grace, Dunn’s River, Encona Sauces, Nurishment and Brunswick brands.

“We have seen huge growth in the Caribbean sector, with sales growing at +7.9% YoY* as consumers seek new inspiration for their cooking,” says Ryan Mack.

“Coupled with the launch of a wide range of ready-to-use products and scratch cooking ingredients, this year’s Caribbean Food Week introduced new consumers to Caribbean food and stimulated category growth.”

For more information on Caribbean Food Week and exciting recipes:

Visit: www.caribbeanfoodweek.co.uk

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* Symphony IRI UK Caribbean Food & Drink – Unit Sales, MAT 52w/e 22nd June 2013

Caribbean Food Week

www.caribbeanfoodweek.co.uk