A mix of nostalgia and anxiety reigned in Vieux Fort on August 21, when the Baron Group of Companies Inc. hosted a sod-turning ceremony for its new seven-acre US $13 million (EC $35 million) plant.
Executive Chairman and Founder, Dr Ronald Ramjattan, started-off manufacturing pepper-sauce manually, chopping the eye-watering condiment by hand and mixing the different varieties simultaneously in any number of small electric kitchen-size mixers.
Ron’s eyes were permanently red and watery from the lingering effects of working manually with red-hot yellow peppers.
Starting with 12 products 34 years ago, today Baron Foods boasts a portfolio of 165 products spanning all major food categories — from condiments, sauces and flavours to beverages and spices — exported to over-35 nations globally — from the Caribbean and Latin America to Europe, North America, China and Africa.
Now, the company will move from snack foods to paper products to tourism, diversifying, innovating and investing in the country’s future.
The turnout was indeed impressive – Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, Vieux Fort MP Dr Kenny D. Anthony, Minister for Infrastructure Stephenson King, Commerce Minister Emma Hippolyte, Foreign Affairs Minister Alva Baptiste, Health Minister Moses Jn Batiste, Opposition Leader Allen Chastanet and Choiseul-Saltibus MP Bradley Felix.
President of the Saint Lucia Manufacturers Association Marguerite Desir also attended and welcomed the new venture.
Apart from four past and present Prime Ministers (Pierre, Anthony, King and Chastanet), also present were several representatives of prominent and successful local family business.
It was a session cut-to-fit, sewn together with creative expertise, in an in-house ceremony that saw the sod shovelled before the very eyes of sitting guests – and the local companies delivering the giant project from concept to plant.
But the ceremony was worth more than the attendance: it also marked the overly-fruitful harvest of one old vision and the birth of a new one, including generational transition and greater global outreach.
Founding father Ron Ramjattan and his son, Managing Director Ronald Jr, each proudly offered simultaneous reviews and previews of the company’s roots, its fruitful growth over time and its vision for further expansion.
The senior Ramjattan recalled: “We began with just 12 products and a team of 23.
“Bottling was done manually and every label was applied by hand. Deliveries started in my Toyota station wagon, but as sales quickly grew, I had to rent vans and trucks from residents in the community, just to keep up with the demand.
“Within six months, we secured our first export — a full container load order to Trinidad & Tobago – and that was when I knew we were not just creating products, we were creating trust.
“From those humble beginnings, step by step, bottle by bottle, Baron Foods grew into a company recognized not only in Saint Lucia, but across the Caribbean and beyond.
“Along the way, there were many challenges, but there was also resilience, innovation and the unwavering belief that a Caribbean brand could stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world….
“And now, to be here today, breaking ground on this seven-acre expansion, is deeply fulfilling.
“This isn’t just about more space. It is about the birth of new ideas and businesses under the Baron Group of Companies — from snack foods to paper products to tourism. We are diversifying, innovating and investing in the future of our country.
“Every bottle that leaves our shores carries more than flavour, as it also carries Saint Lucian and Caribbean pride, each carrying the creativity, resilience and excellence of our people.
“So, as we build this new complex, we are not only laying concrete and steel, we are also laying the foundation for another generation of opportunity.
“The foundation is strong. The vision is alive. The future is bright – and together, we are just getting started!”
Managing Director Ron Ramjattan Jr told the gathering: “This sod turning isn’t just about construction. It’s about continuity and legacy and in what we can build right here in Saint Lucia, with our own vision, talent and drive…
“We’ve heard from my father about how it all began. What I’ll add is this: the foundation he built gave us more than a company. It gave us a responsibility, a name people trust, and a brand that carries St Lucia onto shelves, into kitchens and onto plates — not just here, but across the region and the world.
“This expansion is our way of building on that legacy — with purpose, with scale and a long-term vision for what the next chapter of the Baron Group can be.
“I am especially proud to say that every step of this project to date — from architectural designs, civil and geotechnical engineering, quantity surveying, project management and MEP design — has been done by St Lucian companies — proof that our local expertise can deliver to the highest standard.
“When fully operational, the new complex will employ approximately 150 people. But more importantly, it will give our young people a reason to stay, to dream and to build — right here, at home.
“As we transition into this new facility, every current staffer will retain their job. None will be left behind, as this is not about reducing opportunities, but about creating more — more roles, more capacity and more chances for Saint Lucians to grow with us.
“As a second-generation leader, I carry two responsibilities: One is to preserve what has been built and the second is to take it further than ever imagined.”
He thanked successive governments and Saint Lucians “for standing with us as we plant the seeds for the future.
“We’ll keep doing what we’ve always done — pushing boundaries, raising standards and adding flavour to every part of life.
“We’ve got the fire and we’ve got the flavour. The pot’s still bubbling — and we’re just getting started!”
Companies under the Baron Group include: Baron Foods, Baron Creative Snacks, Soft & Tender by Baron, Baron Distribution Services Ltd. and The Baron Experience Centre.