Business View Caribbean | July 2022

45 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 7 GRACEKENNEDY BEL I ZE L IMI TED that we are a member of a group of companies. There is no other company in Belize that can say the same. So even though our prices and our costs keep going up, we can leverage with our sister companies and our parent company, to help us maintain those increases as manageable as possible.” The core values of the company also extend to GraceKennedy Belize’s 47 employees, who Ugarte believes are a huge part of the company’s success. He notes, “Nothing that we have achieved could have been achieved if it wasn’t for the strong workforce that we have. During the pandemic, thankfully, we did not lose any member of staff due to COVID. We had our own challenges and setbacks, but as a team, I believe that the pandemic made us stronger and we learned to take care of one another during this difficult time. I believe that speaks volumes of the type of employees that we have. We are extremely thankful for the commitment and the support that we have gotten from our staff.” Operating out of a 25,000 square foot warehouse, which includes the company offices, GraceKennedy Belize is focused on growing not only Grace brands, but also sourcing out strategic partner brands. “We try to find brands that resonate in the Belizean market that are not necessarily from our own portfolio, but certainly across the region, and brands that Belizean’s love,” says Daley-Longman, “We make sure that we get products on the shelf, so we distribute sometimes directly with our own trucks, and we partner as well with Belizean companies and distributors to make sure that the products can reach consumers across the country.” Rising fuel and freight costs have added another challenge, as Daley-Longman adds, “We are constantly having to review our cost structure, review our prices, review our margins, because it is something that has significantly impacted the cost of doing business and the cost of getting products on the shelf in Belize. I think one of the biggest advantages GraceKennedy Belize has is