In a joint meeting on Tuesday, Senator the Honourable Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry, and Senator the Honourable Kazim Hosein, Minister of Agriculture, Lands, and Fisheries, met with Nestlé’s executives at the MTI Headquarters in Port of Spain. The meeting with Mr. Eduardo Garcia, the Market Head for Nestlé Anglo-Dutch Caribbean and the incoming Mr. Laurent Freixe, Executive Vice President of Nestlé South America and Zone CEO facilitated introductions and discussions on the company’s current and future plans locally and in the region.
The meeting follows Nestlé’s celebration of its 110th anniversary in the Anglo-Dutch Caribbean region, which was hosted at the Stollmeyer’s Castle Killarney on Monday evening. In delivering the Keynote Address, Minister Gopee-Scoon offered congratulations and described the occasion as a monumental milestone. The Minister said, “Nestlé’s ability to maintain market presence for over a century is testament to the company’s resilience, adaptability and deep understanding of the Caribbean’s unique needs and culture.”
In 2023, Nestlé’s exports from T&T were valued at approximately TT$ 54.4 million, reaching 17 countries within the Caribbean and contributing significantly to the growth of the food and beverage sector in Trinidad and Tobago.
At the Monday event, Minister Gopee-Scoon recognised the company’s culture of innovation, supplier relations, initiatives to assist farmers and contributions to the development of the local dairy industry. Nestlé’s recent (March 2023) investment in the Turure Model Farm Project in Sangre Grande will create a self-sustaining circular system on the farm and implement new technologies and strategies to boost dairy production. The Minister said she “was pleased to hear that this model is being rolled out with 15 dairy farmers across Trinidad.”
She said, “Nestlé’s pioneering work in environmental sustainability, digital transformation and food security, among other areas, are aligned with the Government’s focus on green manufacturing, and the strengthening of regional value chains, nearshoring and building food security in the region through events such as Agri-Expo 2024, which concluded recently and which Nestlé was a part of and a sponsor.”
Looking forward to the next 110 years, Minister Gopee-Scoon invited the company to continue to invest and expand its operations in Trinidad and Tobago, as there exists vast opportunity and potential for growth locally.
