Chief Brand Products

A Taste of the Caribbean

Where Caribbean Tradition Meets Global Ambition

From a basket of hand-mixed spices on the back of a bicycle to a globally recognized Caribbean food brand, Chief Brand Products has built a legacy on one simple promise: authentic flavor that feels like home.

Founded in 1957 by the late Sayeed Khan in Trinidad and Tobago, Chief Brand Products began as a true cottage industry. Khan would blend spices in his family kitchen, testing and tweaking each mix by taste, then pedal from house to house selling to neighbours. Nearly seven decades later, that same hands-on ethos still guides a company that has become a household name across the Caribbean diaspora and beyond.

“Chief Brand Products was founded in 1957 with a simple mission – to bring authentic Caribbean flavors to every kitchen,” says Marketing Manager, Nylah Mohammed. “What started as a small cottage industry has grown into a huge legacy built on quality, tradition, and innovation. We’ve become a household name, but we’ve never lost that family-owned spirit.”

Today, under the leadership of Executive Chairman Roshan Khan, Sayeed’s son, Chief Brand Products remains proudly family-owned and firmly rooted in its Trinidadian heritage, even as it modernizes, diversifies, and expands its global reach.

A Caribbean Classic with Worldwide Reach

In its home market, Chief Brand Products is ubiquitous. The company supplies both islands of the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, serving everything from small village shops to major supermarket chains. The brand is firmly established as the primary provider of spices and curry in the country, occupying shelf space in everything from small downtrend groceries to the largest retail outlets.

Across CARICOM, Chief’s presence is just as strong. Its products can be found up and down the Caribbean, with Guyana emerging as its single largest CARICOM customer. Beyond the region, the company has successfully penetrated major export markets and today enjoys a strong presence in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

That reach is supported by a remarkably broad product portfolio. Chief now offers more than 150 SKUs, spanning dry spices, curry powders, seasoning blends, sauces, green seasonings, and ready-to-use marinades and mixes. In addition, the company manufactures a growing snack line that has gained popularity in the wider Caribbean, expanding Chief’s brand presence into new consumption occasions and demographics.

Photo Credit: Neeshad Mohammed Photography

“We’re not only into spices and curry,” Mohammed notes. “We also manufacture snacks and have a snack line with a huge presence in the Caribbean market. We’ve positioned Chief as more than just ‘the curry factory’ – we’re a full-spectrum Caribbean flavor house.”

From Hand-Mixed to High-Tech – Without Losing the Soul

For Chief Brand Products, innovation begins in the factory but never comes at the expense of taste or authenticity. Meeting the growing global demand for its products has required significant investment in manufacturing technology.

“Because of the volume and great demand for our products, we’ve invested in some of the most high-capacity grinders and blenders to ensure consistent spice mixes with the exact taste profile every time,” Mohammed explains. “We also have very effective roasting equipment, because our seeds and grains have to be roasted to perfection to get the optimum taste and quality.”

This precision is especially critical for iconic staples such as curry and jira (cumin), where flavor profiles are deeply tied to national identity and family tradition. Getting those notes wrong is simply not an option.

To support this, Chief has installed top-of-the-line automated packaging lines that improve hygiene, increase speed to market, and extend shelf life with airtight, tamper-evident packaging. A dedicated quality assurance and food safety team oversees batch tracking, in-house laboratory testing, and digital quality logs. These measures allow the company to meet and exceed local and international food and beverage standards.

Despite the high-tech infrastructure, the company’s most defining quality check remains decidedly traditional. Every new blend still goes through what is essentially a family taste test.

“Even now, in 2025, when we do new mixes, that’s exactly what will happen,” Mohammed says. “The directors and the executive chairman get the samples, we actually cook with them, and they try it themselves. With a new pepper sauce, for example, we did a whole batch and had the entire factory taste it. If we can’t enjoy a product, we can’t sell it.”

It is this balance of modern manufacturing and deeply personal quality control that sets Chief apart and connects each new product back to the company’s origins in a family kitchen.

Photo Credit: Neeshad Mohammed Photography

A People-First Culture with Deep Roots

As much as Chief Brand Products is in the business of flavor, it is equally in the business of people. Employee loyalty, generational continuity, and a genuine family atmosphere are hallmarks of the company’s culture.

From Mohammed’s perspective, the appeal of working at Chief begins with the strength of the brand itself. Employees contribute to a leading Caribbean name that proved its resilience even during the most uncertain times. The COVID-19 pandemic, for example, became one of the company’s most profitable years, underscoring just how essential food manufacturing is, regardless of external shocks. For staff, that translated into job security when many other industries were struggling.

Chief also offers meaningful opportunities for professional growth. Internal promotion is not the exception but the expectation. Employees move from entry-level roles into supervisory and senior positions across departments such as marketing, production, logistics, sales, accounting, and IT. One oft-cited example is a young woman who began her career in the showroom selling products and, after gaining qualifications, rose into a senior role in the accounting department.

Generational continuity is another defining characteristic. Families have built their lives around the company, with parents working in production and their children later joining the business in more specialized roles. In some cases, second-generation employees are now contributing in technical or professional capacities, reflecting both the company’s growth and its commitment to retaining talent over the long term.

At the center of this culture is a rare degree of accessibility. Executive Chairman Roshan Khan maintains an open-door policy that extends beyond the management ranks. It is not unusual for a production worker or security guard to request a few minutes with him to discuss a personal issue or concern, and to be met with empathy and practical support.

“There are not many corporate companies where a production worker or a security guard can call and ask the Chairman, ‘Can I see you for five minutes?’” Mohammed points out. “Here, that happens. He knows their families, their histories. It genuinely operates like a family.”

This environment fosters not only loyalty but also intrinsic motivation. Employees are well compensated, but they are also valued as individuals with families, responsibilities, and ambitions beyond the factory floor. Flexible arrangements, understanding of family commitments, and a culture that prioritizes mental well-being and stability have resulted in a workforce that views Chief as more than a job, but as a community.

Innovation on the Shelf: Snacks, Vegan Ice Cream, and International Blends

Chief’s growth story is also being written in its product pipeline. In recent years, the company has deliberately broadened its portfolio to meet changing consumer preferences and to capture new segments both locally and abroad.

One major area of innovation is the snack category. Chief has launched a number of snack products, including Hula Hoops, a cereal-style snack for children that emphasizes health-conscious attributes such as reduced sugar. The idea is to present families with options that are fun and familiar yet more nutritionally balanced than many traditional snack offerings on the market.

The company’s sister operation, Soody’s Ice Cream, adds another dimension to this strategy. Soody’s produces 100 percent vegan, all-natural frozen treats that are free from artificial colors and flavors and crafted using local produce and concentrates. For a company best known for bold, savory spice blends, the move into vegan desserts may seem unexpected at first glance, but the connection becomes clear when viewed through the lens of holistic, family-oriented eating.

To Mohammed, the alignment is obvious. Consumers who trust Chief to bring flavor to their main dishes are likely to appreciate a dessert option that reinforces the same commitment to quality and wellness. In a region where spice-forward meals are the norm, offering a clean-label frozen treat that cools the palate and fits into modern dietary choices is a natural extension of Chief’s culinary ecosystem.

On the spice side, the company is equally ambitious. Building on Trinidad and Tobago’s famously multicultural food culture, Chief has been developing international blends that go beyond traditional Caribbean profiles. New ranges such as a Hakka-inspired line and a Mediterranean line featuring spices like sumac are in various stages of launch and testing.

“In Trinidad and Tobago, you can drive down any street and find Spanish food, Chinese food, Middle Eastern food, Indian food, and local Creole dishes,” Mohammed says. “Launching international blends keeps us in step with how people actually eat today.”

This approach acknowledges that Chief’s consumers now span the globe. Whether shopping in Port of Spain, New York, Toronto, or London, they are increasingly looking for products that reflect both their Caribbean roots and their international tastes. Chief is investing heavily in research and development to ensure its product pipeline satisfies both impulses.

Sustainability, Digital Transformation, and the Road Ahead

The company’s forward-looking agenda extends into sustainability and digital transformation. Chief is actively exploring eco-friendly packaging solutions, aiming to reduce single-use plastics and incorporate biodegradable labels and shrink wraps wherever feasible. These initiatives are being pursued while maintaining the rigorous quality and safety standards for which the brand is known.

On the marketing front, Chief is undergoing a significant evolution. Historically strong in traditional channels such as print and television, the company is now investing in digital marketing and e-commerce capabilities. A growing social media presence allows for more direct engagement with consumers, while digital campaigns and collaborations across the Caribbean help reinforce brand relevance with younger, more connected audiences.

Photo Credit: Neeshad Mohammed Photography

Strategic partnerships and co-branding initiatives are becoming more common, both within Trinidad and Tobago and across the region. Recent promotions in markets such as Grenada underscore the company’s commitment to staying visible and accessible throughout CARICOM. Parallel to that, ongoing investment in food safety, quality, and research and development ensures Chief is prepared to meet the stringent demands of international markets.

Looking out over the next 18 to 24 months, Chief Brand Products has set clear priorities. The company intends to deepen its penetration in existing export markets and to grow its presence in North America, the United Kingdom, and the wider Caribbean. It is working on region-specific product lines tailored to international tastes, while holding fast to its Caribbean authenticity. Product innovation will continue to focus on health-conscious, convenient meal solutions and fusion flavors that reflect the increasingly global palate of its consumers.

Digital transformation remains high on the agenda, as Chief refines its online presence and modernizes its brand aesthetic to be “global-ready” without losing the heritage that makes it distinct. Internally, the company is also focused on operational excellence and talent development, with in-house training and development programs already underway as part of a multi-year plan to strengthen both the business and its people.

For Mohammed, the future of Chief Brand Products can be summed up in a single phrase: tradition meets innovation. The company aims to be seen not only as a beloved heritage brand, but also as a forward-looking, innovation-driven player in the global food and beverage arena. Its expanding presence in the snack category, its alignment with Soodys’ vegan ice cream offering, and its embrace of new international blends all speak to a strategic vision that is both ambitious and firmly grounded.

From the days of Sayeed Khan’s bicycle to the shelves of supermarkets around the world, Chief Brand Products has stayed true to its essence. The heartbeat of the company still comes from its people, its culture, and its Caribbean roots. As it continues to grow and evolve, one thing remains constant: the chief reason, as their tagline promises, is always taste.

AT A GLANCE

Who: Chief Brand Products

What: The leading producer of authentic spices and flavorings that personify Island cooking

Where: Trinidad & Tobago, Caribbean

Website: www.chief-brand.com

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