Charles joined the company around 1970 and began tinkering with ‘Ferrands Special’ ice cream. Take-home tubs were introduced and after a while, restaurants and hotels and grocery stores were added to the list of Ferrands’ growing clientele. As demand grew, more flavours were added and soon the initial Vanilla, Strawberry and Chocolate flavours had Rum & Raisin, Peanut, Guava and Coconut for company. Today Ferrands offers novelties, yogurt, and a wide array of flavours of ice cream that everyone can savour. Presently, Ferrands supplies only the local market but is churning out plans to position its products on the regional market as well. Because of their sensitive nature the company must put in place precautions to ensure the quality of its products is not compromised. From production to your door, quality is priority-one at Ferrands. It was news to BF to learn that Ferrands uses vegetable instead of butter fat in their recipes and that they have seen little or no change for decades. No shortcuts, no compromise. And get this – no preservatives! There are plans for HACCP certification and expanding the company’s infrastructure. New products are also in the pipeline and Ferrands is working assiduously at improved packaging. The company’s staff base currently stands at just over fifty and that number is expected to increase as the company continues to grow.
It’s no surprise why Ferrands was able to snag the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Saint Lucia Industrial and Small Business Association (SLISBA) Awards held last March. Devaux said pricing of Ferrands products is kept at a minimum even as the costs of raw materials and other factors of production increase. Nevertheless, he believes that Saint Lucians need to recognize the significance of purchasing quality local products. “There are many Saint Lucian companies today producing top quality products. However, there’s a tendency for consumers to buy foreign products, often only because of attractive packaging. What we should recognize is that buying even one locally produced product instead of a similar imported product has significant positive spin-offs for our local economy,” Devaux tells BF. The company also plays an important role in the community by taking its social responsibility to heart. Ferrands supports many school events and charitable organizations in various ways. So if you’ve had the chance to watch Ferrands’ nostalgic (and witty) television advertisements or listened to the radio advertisements over the years, you would by now know that Ferrands is deeply entrenched in the national psyche when it comes to cool taste. So ensure that the next scoop of ice cream or the next choc ice you bite into says Ferrands. It’s a Ferrands product and it’s stood the test of time. ¤
And that’s the Scoop.
BusinessFocus July /Aug
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