ULTIMO Promoting the coconut and cocoa value chains in Jamaica together with the International Trade Center

In October we traveled to Jamaica for two weeks to make our first field trip under the framework of Gastrovalue, a project of the EU-funded ACP Business Friendly Programme, implemented by the International Trade Center (ITC) with which we are working to provide technical support in the capacity of different small and medium-sized enterprises in different countries of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific group to develop and produce value-added products from coconut, cocoa, coffee, and kava.

This first mission in Jamaica is focused on promoting cocoa and coconut, Blanca del Noval, gastronomist researcher specialized in territorial development and sustainability, José Francisco Pelaez Peña, gastronomist researcher responsible for strategy and digital transformation, and Ph.D. Olaia Estrada, head of our physicochemical laboratory had the opportunity to:

• Know and analyze in situ different players alongside the cocoa and coconut value chain in the Caribbean country
• Give a talk on innovative food trends around the development and marketing of these products

Among the actors and leaders visited are: farmers, processors, chocolate makers, as well as products derived from coconut. They have also met centers and public institutions promoting the project such as Jampro (Jamaica Promotions Corporation), SRC (Science Research Council) or CIB (Coconut Industry Board) with which we work hand-to-hand to identify new opportunities for the development of this sector in the country at an international level.

In addition to the visits, during the trip we dynamized a co-creation workshop session on gastronomic innovation and brand strategy 'Developing value-added products from Jamaica for foreign markets', in which different agents of the food value chain have been able to learn from the BCC Innovation team on the keys to creating a country brand.

The objectives of the workshop were the following:

• Understand the concept of 'country brand'
• Analyze the advantages of developing products tied to their origin
• Understand the advantages of quality standard protocols
• Identify some keys to develop and market value-added products to foreign markets
• Promote collaboration among supply chain stakeholders

At BCC Innovation we understand that gastronomy is a key tool for change to achieve an efficient and sustainable value chain, from production to consumption. With this type of initiatives we seek to contribute to the transformation of gastronomy and the food chain, providing differential knowledge to companies, territories and entrepreneurs.