Caribbean Food Delights Inc. produces Jamaican-style beef, chicken and vegetable patties, as well as whole jerk chicken and wings.

With approximately $25 million in 2006 sales, Caribbean Food Delights Inc. and its sister companies have come a long way based on their owners' pursuit of the American dream.

President and CEO Vincent HoSang and his wife, Jeanette HoSang, were born and raised on the island of Jamaica. Vincent moved to the Bronx, New York "with no capital at all" in 1968, where he met Jeanette HoSang and got married in 1976.

Together, they saved up enough money to start their own business. HoSang says their goal was to introduce Caribbean products, such as patties, jerk chicken and oxtails to the American market.

To achieve their goal, the HoSangs bought and remodeled a fast-food fried chicken restaurant in the Bronx in 1978. They soon discovered that it was a failing proposition. "Not having experience or having someone to guide us made it difficult," HoSang explains.

The previous owner and two employees trained the HoSangs on how to prepare the food. "We noticed what they were doing wrong," HoSang recounts. "They weren't giving quality products and changing the oil often enough. If chicken was left over, they tried to pass it off the next day as fresh. We started turning the business around by giving quality products. As a result, we were breaking even after six months and then showing a small profit.

"Our philosophy is that if you give customers a quality product and excellent customer service -that is a formula for success," HoSang emphasizes.

The HoSangs grew the business and in 1980, purchased a German bakery in a newly emerging Jamaican neighborhood in Mt. Vernon, N.Y., starting their first Royal Caribbean Bakery offering Jamaican patties, breads and pastries.

In 1984, they formed Caribbean Food Delights Inc., which produces Jamaican-style beef, chicken and vegetable patties, as well as whole jerk chicken and wings. They outgrew the plant in Mount Vernon and expanded into a 73,000-square-foot facility in Tappan, N.Y. The company supplies restaurants and also provides ready-to-eat products for large retailers like BJ's Wholesale, Wal-Mart, Sam's and Costco.

"Being automated has put us ahead of our competitors and [allowed us] to grow that fast," HoSang says. "We are in the process of expanding again. We are going to go robotic. But putting in robotics doesn't necessarily mean replacing workers. It will make us more efficient and make work easier for employees. We will be able to add another shift and employ more people."

The plant is expanding to more than 100,000 square feet, and has expanded freezer capacity from 10 tractor trailers to 40, which will allow for more production. Constantly trying to innovate and boost efficiency has helped the company stay ahead of competition, HoSang says. He says he continues to attend bakery and equipment shows and read industry magazines to stay ahead.

Raquel Pascual, research and development/quality control manager for Caribbean Food Delights, says the company has several new products under development. Meanwhile, HoSang says, "We are working on producing a trans-fat free patty, and making our product healthier and tastier in every way.

"We are always mindful of the changing consumer trends because people are eating healthier, and we have to cater to them," he states. "We can't close our eyes to our people. People [from the West Indies] are big consumers in our market."

Sales Heating Up
"Since the company has been in business, we've grown every year," states Tim Conway, director of sales for Caribbean Food Delights. "This year, we've had near double-digit growth from the prior year."

In 2006, the company had approximately $25 million in sales. He says "2007 is shaping up to be an even better year for us. It's going to take us to the next level."

The company got a boost to its club store business since it increased distribution to 175 BJ's Wholesale stores, compared to 65 last year. "The club store accounts are our biggest retail business and we expect it to grow by 70 percent over 2006." Conway states.

Caribbean Food Delights is also expanding distribution to commissaries on 85 military bases across the country with ready-to-eat, microwavable patties. We hope to add distribution to another 85 bases worldwide, which includes Europe and Asia within the next six to eight weeks, Conway notes. "We are also actively pursuing the school business." In addition, the company is updating its current Web site and adding an e-commerce section that will allow consumers to order products shipped directly to their homes. "We are the first and only Caribbean company that produces [a ready-to-eat, microwavable patty] in the U.S.," notes COO Sabrina HoSang. "It can be heated up in two minutes in the microwave." This is a popular product in the club stores."

"Caribbean Food Delights has had co-packing requests from Fortune 500 companies," Vincent HoSang says, but, "we prefer to perform our own product development in-house. Right now, it is crucial to maintain our focus on expanding our product line."