Business View Caribbean | July 2022

31 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 7 VAN DEN TWEEL CAR I BBEAN GROUP the confidence that they were working in a safe environment and not putting their lives or their health at risk. I have to congratulate all of our staff because they were always there, they pushed hard. Even in difficult times they always came to work and helped to drive the business during the crisis,” Barrientos says. “We do have a great team across the islands – the executive team, we never stopped coming to work. We were all here setting the example, helping on the sales floor, making sure everybody was taken care of in the best way and that everybody was safe and healthy.” During the early days of the pandemic, a website was quickly created to allow customers to shop online, and have groceries delivered, although Barrientos reports that the popularity of this service was short-lived. He shares, “There was a spike during the crisis, but we also believe that people actually like to come to shop. So, during the lockdown, yes, we had a lot of customers and a lot of tourists that were shopping online, but people really like to come to the store and enjoy the environment and pick their own goods.” Ready-to-eat meals are another area that became even more popular during the pandemic, and has continued to be a growing and evolving part of the business. “At 11:30 am, the line starts building up all the way to the front door,” Barrientos says. “We have expanded a little bit because customers wanted to come and grab some dishes for dinner to help on the preparation. We have great convenient options for our customers that include ready-to-eat options such as hot meals , prepared salads, and ready-to-cook options. Our stores are where quality meets convenience.” In Bonaire, the Van den Tweel Caribbean Group has the best bakery program, which will eventually be expanded to all stores. Barrientos notes, “It is basically a new program coming from Europe, where we are going to sell Premium bread in all of our stores. It will constantly be baked as we go. So, when you walk into a store, you’ll get the smell and be able to grab some fresh-baked products from our bakeries.” Thanks to so many important longstanding relationships with vendors, fresh, top quality food is a highlight of the Van den Tweel Caribbean Group business. According to Barrientos, “We have very good partners in the produce side, the meat sections, the dairy section, in the bakery, and in the frozen foods. In terms of meats and produce, you want quality, you want freshness. Our customers in the Caribbean deserve the best. So that’s where our pride is. In each one of the islands, we have the best produce department, the best meat