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It still has a lot to do with the consistency
of our products, over time. People have
grown to know our brand because of the
key products that we have.
Marnix Perez
marketing manager
opportunity to come to Belize and set up a business for
the distribution of Grace products,” Graham continues.
“In addition, GraceKennedy was also involved in the
sourcing of certain products, such as red kidney beans
and fish, from Belize, for distribution in Jamaica. So, the
establishment of a business here made sense. The Chief
Financial Officer for GraceKennedy at that time was Mr.
Rafael Diaz, who originally hails from Belize and was
instrumental in establishing GraceKennedy Belize. He
subsequently became the CEO and Chairman of
GraceKennedy Limited.
“During its early years, it was a joint venture between
GraceKennedy, who owned 66.7 percent of the business,
GraceKennedy Belize Limited
AT A GLANCE
GraceKennedy
Belize Limited
WHAT:
One of Belize’s major
food, grocery, and beverage dis-
tributors
WHERE:
Belize City, Belize
WEBSITE: www.gracekennedy belize.comand Roberto Espat who owned the other
third. Roberto Espat was involved in a
paper conversion business, which, at
the time, produced toilet tissue, paper
napkins, and brown paper bags.When
GraceKennedy Belize got started, they
distributed Grace products and the
paper products under one management.
Over time, as the business grew, Grace-
Kennedy eventually bought out Roberto
Espat, so GraceKennedy Belize is now a
100 percent-owned subsidiary.
“Over the years, the business expand-
ed the range of products that are dis-
tributed to include third-party brands.
We currently represent brands such as
Colgate-Palmolive, Devon Biscuits, Carib
Beer and Mackeson Stout out of Trini-
dad, Suretox Insecticide and Go Repel-
lant from Barbados, and Mahler Prod-
ucts from Guatemala, to name a few.”
Customer Service and Sales Manager,
Luis Ugarte, says that GraceKennedy
Belize serves “many different customers
in many different channels from whole-
salers, to general supermarkets, small-
er supermarkets, convenience stores,
schools, and offices.” The company has
52 full-time employees, including field
merchandisers and sales representatives
who cover the entire country, including
its islands and cayes, from its distribu-
tion center in Belize City.
Marketing Manager Marnix Perez,