Business View Caribbean - November 2016 13
Oriel Walters from Koncep Branding Antigua and I-
Ronn Audain from the St. Kitts Bureau of Standards,
while on the final day (Tuesday, November 1) by Ji-
han Williams from the federal government intellec-
tual property rights office.
Audain’s presentation was on “Labels Standards
and Regulation” and Walter’s presentation was on
“Labeling Design,” while Williams’ presentation on
the final day was on “Intellectual Property Rights.”
Also in attendance on the first day was the IICA rep-
resentative for Antigua and Barbuda, Craig Thomas.
Chairing the session was Andy Blanchette, institu-
tional liaison to agriculture.
“This workshop is being held with funding from the
10th European Development Fund Agriculture Policy
Program,” Merchant said. “This program is being ex-
ecuted through an agreement signed between the
European Union and the Inter-American Institute for
Cooperation on Agriculture with other implementing
bodies such as the Caribbean Agriculture Research
and Development Institute (CARDI) and the CARI-
COM Secretariat.”
According to Merchant, the program is being imple-
mented within the context of two major challenges
which agriculture faces in the CARIFORUM states,
namely an increasing regional food import bill esti-
mated at over $5 billion annually and climate change,
which is of particular significance to the Caribbean,
comprised largely of small island developing states
with low lying coastal areas and deemed the second
most prone in the world to natural hazards.
He said the main aims of the workshop were to en-
able small-scale enterprises in St. Kitts and Nevis,
including women and youth, to strengthen value-
added processes and marketing opportunities to
meet the demands of retailers and consumers, and
to strengthen the capacity to increase the volume,
quality, standard, and differentiation of local value
added products.
“The label is the first point of contact between the
consumer and producer,” Merchant informed the
workshop participants. “It is used to identify one
product from another and also to make a discussion
over which product to purchase. The label is there-
fore the most important marketing tool for a prod-
uct. It should be attractive and eye-catching while at
the same time being informative. A dirty, confusing,
and untidy label will not help to sell a product. Small
scale food processors should aim to label their prod-
ucts with the best label they can obtain or afford in
relation to the product.”
On the first day, the workshop participants were di-
vided into four groups where they worked on label
designs, and presentation of the work groups was
done by group leaders, while feedback on presenta-
tion made by the groups was presented by Walters.
A number of the agro-processors brought their labels
that they put on display, and which caught the eye of
Daniel. “Labels should be attractive, eye catching,
while at the same time, informative,” she said. “I
take pride in our very own local products, produce by
the Agro-processing Unit and other agro-processors
such as Ms. Connor’s D-Lightfully Sweet, Grandmas
Special, which is nicely designed with our National
Anthem theme, “Oh Land of Beauty.”
She encouraged the agro-processors to try their
best to label their products with the best labels avail-
able and affordable in relation to the value of the
product, pointing out that “the Ministry is here to
support you and provide the necessary assistance
to attain your goals.”
