Jamaica’s Best Purveyor – Caribbean Producers Jamaica (CPJ)

Caribbean Producers Jamaica (CPJ) is a multiaward-winning purveyor and food processor which has, since 1994, been providing goods to meet the demands of local and foreign guests who patronise Jamaica’s hotels, restaurants, and attractions.

The company was conceptualised by tourism industry veterans Thomas Tyler and Mark Hart, who envisioned a vertically integrated food-service company focusing on providing high-quality products consistently to the hospitality sector.

CPJ has an interesting history. It started operations with a single container of toilet paper from its then base, a 16,000-square foot warehouse at the LOJ Complex in Montego Freeport. Within two years, it expanded its line of products to include the full gamut of paper products, dry goods, canned goods, and condiments.

The company also grew its distribution portfolio to include wines and spirits to service the hospitality industry and is considered the leading importer of those products in Jamaica, representing many of the world’s most acclaimed wine producers and internationally recognised spirit brands.

In 1999, CPJ entered the manufacturing arena through the construction of a beverage plant to produce and distribute juice concentrates and frozen mixes such as pina coladas for the beverage-system programmes used largely in resort areas.

The company also partnered with farmers to process liquid pasteurised eggs for the hospitality and baking Industries – a venture that was the first of its kind in the English- speaking Caribbean – and converted what used to be an imported item to a locally produced offering. Earlier this year, it opened a new facility, a 56,000-sq ft. state-of-the-art distribution centre at its Montego Freeport location.

At 25, the company, which is now listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, has truly come of age. This company is truly deserving of its Purveyor of the Year Award for its invaluable contribution and commitment to the hospitality industry.