Caribbean Grocery Store Opens on St. Cloud's East End

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- A new grocery store that specializes in the spices and flavors of the Caribbean islands has opened on East St. Germain Street.

Photo by WJON.com's Jim Maurice

Veron Whyte owns the business with his wife. The couple is originally from Jamaica and came to central Minnesota about four years ago on a work visa to work at the Breezy Point resort up in the Brainerd lakes area. They ended up falling in love with central Minnesota and decided to stay.

They opened their first grocery store VK Caribbean Groceries in Brainerd just under two years ago.

Photo by WJON.com's Jim Maurice

Whyte says they noticed that several of their customers were traveling from Little Falls and the St. Cloud area, so they decided to open their second location in St. Cloud. It officially opened at 425 East St Germain Street earlier this month.

He says while they are both Jamaican, they describe their store as an International Market with groceries from all over the Caribbean Islands.

Photo by WJON.com's Jim Maurice

He says their suppliers are based out of the islands, but he's hoping to incorporate some fresh produce and other local products when they are in season.

They take customers requests for new products and will be adding to their inventory in the coming months.

Whyte says about 60 percent of their clientele are Americans who travel frequently to the islands and miss the flavors while they are back here at home, about 20 percent are islanders who now call Minnesota home, and the other 20 percent are from other countries.

Photo by WJON.com's Jim Maurice

He says they've also found success shipping their products to homes across the upper Midwest that don't have close access to a Caribbean grocery store.

They have been doing cooking classes through Community Education up in Brainerd to help teach people how to use their products, and they are hoping to offer similar classes here in the St. Cloud area. In the meantime, most of the spices have recipes on the packaging to get you started.