The Saint Lucia Trade Export Promotion Agency (TEPA), has appointed At The Table Public Relations as its PR agency to create broader awareness for Saint Lucian products in the United States. TEPA aims to deepen penetration and distribution for its export producers into the US and the southern Canadian market.
At The Table PR is developing a sales and marketing campaign that will feature Saint Lucian produced food products, including bananas and coconuts. The goal is to increase sales and shipments of Saint Lucia produce by 5 percent over the next five years.
The main crop for export from Saint Lucia is bananas, however, there are a variety of additional crops that are produced on the island for domestic consumption. These other crops include breadfruit, coconut, avocado, citrus, mangoes as well as some root vegetables such as sweet potato and yams. Saint Lucia has approximately 30,000 acres of arable land which is just shy of 20 percent of St Lucia's land mass. Banana is commercially cultivated on roughly 4500 acres of land and accounts for approximately 85 percent of the total agricultural exports.
TEPA is the Saint Lucian government’s lead national trade export and promotion agency and is mandated to spearhead the island’s national export development effort. TEPA works to assist local Saint Lucian businesses to improve long term sustainability by preparing products for worldwide export and facilitating the trade process between potential offshore clients and the respective Saint Lucian producers.
Left: At The Table Public Relations CEO, Cheryl Miller, Right: TEPA CEO Jacqueline Emmanuel Flood
“After being vetted by the Saint Lucia government over the last two years we are excited to work with TEPA and to help bring Saint Lucia and all it has to offer to the US,” says Cheryl Miller, CEO, At The Table PR. “The entire team at At The Table PR is thrilled with this new partnership and we look forward to rolling out marketing and promotion campaigns to increase export opportunities in North America on behalf of TEPA and its respective producers.”
To prepare for this assignment, At the Table PR attended a Saint Lucia familiarization and orientation tour. While in Saint Lucia they met with government agency leaders and business development stakeholders. The campaign will align the agendas of agencies such as the Saint Lucia Coalition of Service Industries, the Ministry of Commerce Industry, Saint Lucia Business Development, Consumer Affairs, the Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Heritage and Creative Industries; and the National Export Council. Aspects of the overall campaign will begin to roll out in select US cities starting in February 2016.
Contact:
Dana R. Swinney
Public Relations Consultant
Tel: (+1) 413-426-9539
Cell: (+1) 518-694-1204