Erica heads Regional Hot Pepper Association

by Karen Palmer 15.JUN.07

Erica McIntosh continues to turn up the heat by being named head of the Regional Hot Pepper Association.

The local businesswoman was elected to that position while attending a workshop in Jamaica from May 31st-June 2nd, on the “Diversification of the hot pepper industry through cross sector linkages and capacity development.”{{more}}

McIntosh said the issues addressed revolved around the survival and expansion of the industry, including discussion on opportunities and challenges within the market, practices and opportunities to export to the United States and the rest of the world, market segments and food manufacturing trends, as well as discussion on using market intelligence and being well versed on trends and changes.

She said one topic of utmost importance was the formation of business clusters, which are beneficial to those involved, as costs are lessened and unity is promoted. McIntosh however noted that managing clusters could be tricky as businesses must learn to both co-operate and compete with each other.

McIntosh said her new position will entail spearheading the progress of the group, ensuring the formation of a legal body and a constitution to work with, as well as finding a consultant to see to it that everything is done both professionally and formally.

A total of 13 countries participated in the workshop, spanning from as far south as Belize, and included the renowned Winston Stona of Busha Browne’s in Jamaica.

Famous herself for Erica’s Country Style and its array of products, including her popular pepper sauce and newer products such as her ginger/garlic marinade, Erica McIntosh was awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year award, as well as Female Entrepreneur of the year for Barbados and the OECS, both in 1999.

The workshop was sponsored by the Caribbean Export Development Agency, Caribbean Development Bank and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).