Growth & Jobs | ROC – A foray by Jamaicans into the green grocery industry

A VISIT to any green grocery in the New York Tri-State area to purchase Jamaican products will show a constant feature – these stores are Korean-owned.

This has led to many conversations within the community as to why Jamaicans do not feature in the ownership of such stores, as they are located primarily in neighbourhoods populated by Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals.

So, in 2017, a group of Jamaicans came together to discuss and form an entity that would mark their entry into the Korean-dominated green grocery industry in New York.

The end result is ROC – Restaurant Owners Cooperative – which now serves Jamaican and other Caribbean small businesses, especially restaurants, with goods imported from Jamaica and a number of African countries.

The president of the cooperative, Michael Duncan, told The Gleaner in an interview that there are some 200 investors in the enterprise, 80 per cent of whom are Jamaicans. Each investor puts up a minimum of US$600 into the entity.

He said that today, ROC has grown into a million-dollar business, with shareholders being paid dividends on their investment over the last two years.

“Not only are we investing in our community, but we are creating wealth as well as employment,” said Duncan.

He pointed out that of the 30-odd member workforce, some 90 per cent are Jamaicans.

The main purpose of the ROC, he said, is to supply Jamaican businesses with goods that they would previously purchase from the Korean-owned stores.

Helps J’can farmers

He told The Gleaner that the co-operative brings in two or three trailer loads of goods out of Jamaica to meet the needs of clients.

Duncan pointed out that this helps the Jamaican farmers, as they have a steady market for their produce in the United States.

“Name the product that is from Jamaica and you can find it at the ROC,” he said.

Duncan said that his organisations has not sought to get into farming in Jamaica as this would undercut the farmers. The aim is to spur more production of Jamaican farm goods and have a market in the New York area, where such goods will be sold.

He disclosed that the ROC is looking at putting in a packaging facility in Jamaica, which would further help the Jamaican farmers, as in many instances they are unfamiliar with the packaging requirements and do not have the required licence needed in the United States.

According to Duncan, the prices for goods at the ROC are competitive with those charged at the Korean-owned stores.

He further pointed out that a service provided by the ROC to Jamaican-owned restaurants is the delivery of goods, thus freeing restaurant owners from having to go to the Queens, New York location to pick up goods.

Pointing out that there are a lot of Jamaican- and Caribbean-owned restaurants in the community, the delivery service makes sense for the company to do.

The ROC is a one-stop facility. You get Jamaican ground provisions, fruits, dry goods, condiments as well as meat and fish. The co-operative bakes several products such as hard-dough bread, toto, sugar buns, cocoa bread, gizzadas, among other products on the premises. The ROC also carries products directly from Jamaica that are not found in the Korean-owned stores.

“Any restaurant owner coming to the ROC for the first time can find any and everything for their establishments,” he told The Gleaner.

Another feature of the ROC is that it carries products produced by Jamaicans in the New York area which would not otherwise find outlets in other stores, he disclosed.

“This gives such entities an outlet to display their products. If they prove to be good sellers, we purchase quantities that will serve customers who want them. This way, he not only enhances our product lines, but we provide an avenue for new product development in our community,” he said.

Duncan pointed out that more and more restaurant owners are now purchasing from the ROC as the word spreads about the establishment.

He also disclosed that in a number of limited instances, the ROC supply some Korean-owned stores with certain products.

Duncan disclosed that the co-operative is actively looking for a bigger space to accommodate its goods.

In this way, they will be able to increase the number of trailer of goods coming from Jamaica. They are also looking to purchase other vehicles to enhance their delivery service.

The ROC also gives back to the community.

“We support many Jamaican organisations that are providing scholarships to schools in Jamaica, as well as school supplies,” he said.

Duncan said that donations are also made to several local Jamaican and Caribbean sports teams.

“Without the Jamaican community we would not have achieved the success that we have, so we have to give back to our community,” he said.