On Friday, December 2nd, the Belize Marketing and Development Corporation (BMDC) opened its fifth branch in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye. The facility on the island offers Belizean products such as jam, jellies, pepper sauces, honey, crafts, cooking oils, ointments, rice, sugar, local sweets, seasonings, alcoholic beverages, vegetables, dairy products, meats, and other items made in Belize by Belizean entrepreneurs. The branch is on Pescador Drive, across from the Smart office, and they are open Monday through Friday, 8AM to Noon and 1- 5PM.
The BMDC is a statutory body under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise. It has the mandate to assist in the economic development of Belize by ensuring food security, enhancing product development, providing marketing services for small agro-businesses, and operating in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. The entity also encourages Belizeans to do business with local producers and stakeholders.
San Pedro Branch Manager Alex Nuñez said they want to create a niche/market for Belizean producers. “We do our best to market the Belizean products and ensure that as a whole in the country of Belize, we create a market opportunity for these individuals,” he said. Nuñez added that one of the top products is honey. He mentioned that young entrepreneurs also work with fruits like soursop and dragon fruit. “Ideally, in San Pedro, we can create a market for the food and beverage departments and utilize these fruit-based products locally produced,” said Nuñez. In this way, local consumers will be supporting the Belizean production sector. Another objective of the BMDC branch on the island is to supply the community, particularly stakeholders in the tourism industry, with seasonal products like avocado and fruits like mango year-round.
After the official opening, guests toured the facilities and were the first to view the products on the shelves made in Belize. There was even a sampling session of the different types of Cashew wines. The shop also saw its first sale, and a happy customer shared that this would be her new place for shopping for groceries. She also encouraged islanders to visit the shop and support Belize’s products.
The BMDC hopes to serve Belizean producers and agro-processors by showcasing and marketing their products. They committed to doing so most efficiently and effectively both locally and internationally.
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