The London BBC Good Food show 2008 at Olympia hosted for the first time an African and Caribbean Pavilion.

As the leading company in the sector Wanis presented various mainstream Afro-Caribbean lines to the British public, enticing them to try out new and exotic tastes and flavours and embibe beautiful elixirs (Dragon Stout, DG Malta Velvet and Refresh, Bigga and Tropical Sun Coconut Water).

Wanis’ range of international African and Caribbean products featured sophistication and delicate alchemy, both hallmark’s of African and Caribbean dining. Consumers were pleasantly surprised by the heady fusion of African Caribbean ingredients, displaying African and Caribbean food and drink at its best at the Tropical Sun stand

This event which is one of London’s most exciting gastronomic experiences of the season, featured products that ranged from spices and sauce variants, to coconut peanuts and coconut water, to our infamous Jerk seasoning, Spiced (current) bun, Ackee and Calaloo, all presented in a tasteful way to all fans of quality food and top restaurant providing the right platform for sampling and offering delicious tips and ideas during the show.

Sampling was available to all adventure-seeking lovers and the range of sauce started at Mild working their way up to Extra Hot. As one consumer put it “I’ll start at the shallow end and work my way down” – only the daring made it to the limited edition Extra Hot Pepper Sauce!

Dragon Stout, Bigga soft drinks and the newly enhanced DG Malta range offered consumers the opportunity for a taste of the tropics and came in handy to reduce the heat sensation on the tongues of some consumers brave enough to sample the hot sauces on display.

The Live cooking demonstrations were a great hit with the public with Jamaica Sun Ackee and Saltfish going down a treat, so much so that the session had to be repeated the following day. Africa’s Finest Jollof rice seasoning was also a hit with the audiences as well as Calaloo (Caribbean spinach) and the Tropical Sun rice & peas.

The event had to end (like all good holidays to the Sun), with the question on everyone’s lips “Which stores can I get these in?”

Editors Footnote: Whilst we encourage and applaud the efforts of the mainstream supermarkets (Sainsburys, Tesco, Asda, etc.) to embrace World Foods, the current focus on commodity over brand has led to poor quality substitutes making their way onto their shelves. This leaves established consumers with brands they don’t recognise and hence don’t buy and new consumers with a perceived lower quality African and Caribbean offering that is likely to put them off repeat purchases. Our aim is to bring African and Caribbean food to the mainstream public, and with the right brands consumers can make every day a tropical adventure.