Business View Caribbean | Volume 8, Issue 7

54 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 8, ISSUE 7 Stuart shares, “We have people contact us all the time, saying their mom or their sister or someone has had this jingle playing in their head over the years, and is it possible to send a recording that they could use as a ringtone for their phone? That’s how impactful the BICO brand has been as a staple on the minds of our clients and consumers.” BICO is a publicly traded company with a shareholder board that drives the vision. They have a team of 88 employees and also have franchise agreements with self-employed mobilers – the people who drive the ice cream trucks into the villages. Some of them are not direct employees, but they are franchise owners who manage their vehicles as independents. The company operates through an array of distribution channels, working very well with the major supermarkets in Barbados and throughout the region, and also with the mom-and-pop stores. And the BICO mobiler franchisees actually on the facility. “The plant is semi-automated and that is intentional,” says Stuart,“because we pride ourselves on the craft association of the business. We are the oldest and the largest company of our type in Barbados. In addition to being an ice cream producer, the fact that we’ve been around since 1901 suggests that we are the legacy of ice cream – not just in Barbados but regionally. And our cold storage facilities, also play that role. At one million square feet in size, it is the largest and the oldest cold storage space in the island. So we really have weathered the storms and been a resilient player in the local area.” When BICO ice cream vendors go around the community, they play a familiar specific jingle that excites everyone in the neighborhood. The Port of Bridgetown, where trade and logistics, transport and technology, people and passion, come together to deliver the quality service you deserve. www. b a r b a do s po r t . c om