Trinidad’s Novo Life Farms looking for local partners
Trinidadian manufacturer, Novo Life Farms, says it is prepared to partner with Guyanese farmers for the supply of raw produce as it seeks to increase production and enter new markets with its line of processed food products.
The company which exhibited its products, which ranged from cassava and sweet potato pasta to ready-to-cook vegetables and ground provisions, along with its newest line of instant products, at the Agri-Investment Forum and Expo last week, said it is interested in having Guyanese farmers as a part of its supply chain.
Having received positive feedback on its products, Chevon Wilson, the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), disclosed that they are looking to establish a permanent footing in the Guyanese market. He stated that the decision to enter the Guyanese market has been in the pipeline and it is expected that within the next few months, local customers will be able to purchase their items from supermarkets.
The company’s products include cubed carrots, pumpkin, grated coconuts, sweet potato, cassava and dasheen fries, vegetable mix, coleslaw mix, shredded carrots, salad mix, frozen ochro, calaloo, carilla, corn, bora, chorai bhagi, instant dhal, and bigan choka and pasta made from cassava and dasheen flour.
Touching on the instant food line which is yet to be launched, the CEO explained that fresh produce is processed to a powder form and packaged for the market. The customer then only needs to add water for use. These products, he said, retain 95 per cent of their nutritional value.
On its website, Novo Life states that all its produce is locally processed with zero-added preservatives. They said the fresh products are pre-cut, pre-washed and prepackaged ingredients from farm to table.
According to Wilson, upon entry into the Guyanese market, they will like to commence purchasing from farmers here.
“…From entering the market one of the things we will be very interested in doing is working within an eco-system. That is getting the raw produce for these products that we provide, from the Guyanese farmer… As we look to enter the market we want it to be more of a partnership… that is something we are definitely interested in doing.”
Already, the company has been in discussion with persons to supply them with produce from Guyana and Wilson is hopeful that reliable suppliers can be found soon.
He noted that as the company expands into new markets, it is their intention to support local farmers by providing an avenue for new markets.
“Well hopefully, we will be able to enter the market in a couple months. We have been having some conversations and they are very promising and we just have to work out the finer details.”
Should the partnership become fruitful, he said, they are prepared to the look at the possibility of having a factory here to produce their line of products. However, at this point they are looking to engage farmers and ship the raw produce to Trinidad and Tobago for processing.
Wilson believes that their line of products plays a part in helping CARICOM achieve its goal of reducing its food importation bill by 25% by 2025. He assured that all Nova Life products are produced in the region. The company’s website explained that they process local produce such as vegetables, leafy greens, root crops and fruits in various cuts and large volumes. “Our food manufacturing line reduces the food prep time for both large scale operations as well as the individual at home.”
It also mentioned that the manufacturing warehouse is equipped with machinery of the highest standard which ensures the final product is consistent and produced in a clean environment.
“We believe food should be consumed as naturally as it is grown. You will not find any harmful additives or preservatives in our distribution chain. Trust us when we say we have a lot of exciting products to be revealed, some of which are new…” the website added.