H.E. Douglas Shen, Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to Saint Lucia, accompanied by officials from the Taiwanese Embassy visited the Paradise Foods Ltd. in Fond Assau on April 12, 2018. Ambassador Shen’s delegation was warmly welcomed by Chairman of the Board / Managing Director Hubert Emmanuel and his entire staff. Paradise Foods is a food processing company jointly started by Saint Lucia and Taiwanese businessmen, and it is the first-ever private sector business venture between the two countries.
Chairman Emmanuel led the delegation to tour the facility which is producing chocolates, juice and pulp from local ingredients daily. Chairman Emmanuel said, when he was serving as Saint Lucian Ambassador to Taiwan, he had the opportunity to see first-hand the advancement of Taiwan’s food processing industry, and it inspired him to start Paradise Foods after he returned home. The company imported all of its machinery and packing materials from Taiwan. Its operation manager, Mr. Albert Hsu, and two of his senior specialists were also recruited from Taiwan.
Manager Hsu said that he is eager to introduce Taiwanese expertise to help Paradise Foods develop value-added agricultural products; with chocolate, ice cream and fruit juice now in the pipeline, he is looking forward to start the production of dried fruits. Chairman Emmanuel added that the first batch of chocolates has been shipped to duty-free shops in Pointe Seraphine, and fresh juices will soon be available for purchase at local super market and gas stations.
Ambassador Shen commended the company for utilizing Taiwan food-processing technology to develop Saint Lucia’s food-processing industry, and hence creating more jobs and business opportunity for local farming communities. Ambassador Shen pointed out that since Taiwan and Saint Lucia resumed diplomatic ties in 2007, the two countries has cooperated to organise the annual trade show at Rodney Bay, showcasing the best products from both countries; with the visit of Honourable Bradley Felix, Minister of Commerce to Taiwan in 2017, the two sides established a firm platform for business contacts. Ambassador Shen hoped that Paradise Foods will set a good example to attract more Taiwanese businesses to invest in Saint Lucia soon.
H.E. Ambassador Douglas Shen(Left 3) together with Chairman of the Board / Managing Director Hubert Emmanuel and his entire staff.
The products of Paradise Food Ltd.
