Business View CARIBBEAN
3
and seasonings for that branding, then, nine years
later, took control of another local company – Walk-
erswood Caribbean Foods – which had existed in the
parish of Saint Ann since the 1970s.
To adhere to the legalities of a free trade zone in Saint
Ann, the company split into two distinct segments: As-
sociated Manufacturers, which stayed in the sauce
business; and Parang Industries Ltd., which continues
to manufacture and distribute its collection of hotel
amenities and products.
A 30,000-square-foot facility in Kingston houses cen-
tralized accounting, payroll and purchasing functions
for both companies, while the Associated Manufactur-
ers production facility is in Saint Ann and comprises
about 75,000 square feet of factory space built by
Walkerswood in 2004.
The factory was part of Associated Manufacturers’ ac-
quisition of Walkerswood in 2008.
“We only make sauces and seasonings and jams and
jellies and that kind of stuff there,” owner Ian Garbutt
said.
Walkerswood brand products manufactured at the
plant are available in the United States, Canada, Great
Britain and New Zealand, thanks a trade zone man-
date that at least 85 percent of what’s produced is ex-
ported. Garbutt said 90 percent of present production
is shipped overseas, while the remaining 10 percent is
distributed locally by the Parang Industries side of the
business.
New York, Florida and Atlanta are strong locations for
the company in a U.S. market that stretches nearly the
full length of the East Coast, due to the Walkerswood
brand’s presence on ethnic shelves in selected loca-
tions of large chain stores like Publix and Kroger.
