Image 1– Fast Facts on Atlanta Georgia- US Census Bureau, 2017
The United States is a popular place for Caribbean immigration. Immigration of West Indians to the US increased by 18% in the period 2010 to 2017. The US Census Bureau recorded over 4.4 million Caribbean immigrants residing there in 2017; this accounts for about 10% of all immigrants to the US. But where are they coming from precisely and where do all these Caribbean people end up? The Caribbean nations with the highest immigrant populations in the States are Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago.
Fig. 1-Largest populations of Caribbean immigrants in the United States according to originating countries (US Census Bureau, 2017)
Your immediate guess as to where these citizens are located, likely includes Florida and New York. You would be right! These states are home to 41% and 26% of all Caribbean immigrants to the US, respectively. These are, however, not the only popular destinations as, there are pockets of Caribbean people in many major states and cities in the US, like Atlanta.
Why is the location of the Caribbean diaspora important to an organization like exporTT? The simple answer is that concentrations of Caribbean immigrants provide a soft landing spot for exporters. These consumers are familiar with the products, which means ready demand. Usually, exporters or their distributors would have to spend a lot on the marketing of the product or brand before they get traction. This situation is compounded if the product is inherently ‘Caribbean’ and mainstream consumers are not sure what to do with it. For example would an American grocery shopper know what to do with a bottle of ‘Kuchela’ and pick it up from the shelf? We are always making an effort to break into the mainstream markets. However, the reality is that the majority of those buying Caribbean products in the USA are Caribbean people or those closely connected to Caribbean people. The concentration of diaspora in New York and Florida leads to a concentration of distribution in those areas. exporTT is attempting to extend the reach of our exporters by looking at markets outside the two major hubs, we have identified Atlanta, Georgia as a potential fresh territory, for T&T manufacturers.
We are still scheduling meetings with distributors and providing the information we gathered recently in a free Dissemination Webinar hosted on August 13th 2020 via Zoom. In case you missed it we will be running some of the highlights on our social media, so stay locked! This initial seminar targeted Food and Beverage manufacturers who are interested in Atlanta and provided all of our market findings on product trends, logistics, distribution channels and market entry requirements.
For further info on the Webinar: Ms. Kenika Espinosa- kespinosa@exportt.co.tt
exporTT is currently executing a Virtual Trade Mission to Atlanta this month which focuses on the Food and Beverage Sector. This Mission will provide a personalized business agenda, targeted B2B meetings, and subsidized shipping of samples with 3-4 business leads per company guaranteed.
For further info on the Trade Mission please contact Ms. Shamilla Khan- skhan@exportt.co.tt or Ms. Roann David- rdavid@exportt.co.tt
