Eugenie Food Products Ltd, which has been supplying the local market since 2001, now intends to export its products. This small-scale family enterprise in Bambous offers a wide range of exotic delicacies ranging from sweet to salty, sour to spicy: pickles, chutneys, chilli paste, fruit pastes, jams? ?Our main strength is that all our products are made with fresh vegetables and fruits such as mangoes, papayas, litchis, pineapples, eggplants and so on,? Jocelyne Laurent proudly says. No preservatives, no colouring.

?All the merit goes to my husband, Eugène!? The name of the company suddenly makes sense! She explains that her husband always wanted to create a family business.

However, there is no question of ?putting the cart before the horse?, as Jocelyne, the sales manager, explains. ?We have to be fully established in Mauritius before trying anything on an international scale.?

Why food products? ?You know, I think this love for cooking was handed down to him by his grand-mother and his father. When he was a child, he was always somewhere in the kitchen! Moreover, at home, he is the one who cooks when there is a special dish on the menu. He loves innovating and this always means a nice surprise for us!?

However, Eugene doesn?t come to the family business very often. He has another job, which keeps him busy but he sometimes gives a helping hand if needed. ?In two years, he will be retiring so he will be able to concentrate on his passion for cooking!? But the small business works well in spite of his absence. His wife, who was there only to help out in the beginning, admits that she has become fully involved too We?ve learnt so much since we opened the shop; it is really an interesting job!

Seasonal business

The company already supplies the local market through 200 different sales outlets. Its main goal now is to find customers abroad so as to export typical Mauritian food. ?When we go to international fairs abroad, we can see that people are very interested in buying our products. They look for exoticism. Moreover, Europeans are more and more geared towards biological or organic food. Although we can?t say that we make bio products, we can nevertheless guarantee a 100% natural preparation and ingredients!?

According to Jocelyne, exports should work well but making food products from fresh fruits and vegetables has some disadvantages. ?The main problem is that it is a seasonal business.? During the peak season ? when there are more fruits on the market ? the four employees have to process about 500 jars a day. ?But during a certain period, we can?t produce anything and have to deal with our stocks only. So, we have to manage the stock for the local market first before thinking of exporting. But one thing is sure: this is our objective.?