After a number of years in the retail sector, Patrick and Christine Cha Fong (owners) saw the future in wholesale distribution. First they bought a small warehouse and began supplying mom-and-pop stores in the budding Caribbean community. "People told us you'll never make it. There are not enough Jamaicans and Caribbean people," Patrick recalled.
The company tried to crack supermarket chains - with no luck. Most wanted hefty fees upfront to pay for shelf space. Plus, "they were an old boys club," said Christine.
Persisting, the company got a break in the late 1980s at a Pantry Pride store in a Caribbean neighborhood.
The company invested in marketing, including live promotions on local radio and tastings. As sales rose, Pantry Pride expanded the line into more stores. That success slowly opened the door elsewhere. First came Xtra stores, owned by a Venezuelan group. "They were an ethnic minority like us and more open," Christine recalls.
By then, Kingston-Miami Trading Co. was offering private-label products, goods made to their specifications and sold under their brand names. KMT’s brands now include Jamaican Country Style, Caribbean Exotic Gourmet, Sak Pase, Trinidad’s Best, and many more. Some of these brands are geared specifically to clients from Jamaica, Trinidad and Haiti.
Today, Kingston-Miami Trading Co. sells over 400 products across 12 different brands. Some of their customers include Wal-Mart, Publix, and Winn-Dixie. Hard work, diligence, vision, and not to mention the great team work at work and at home made Patrick and Christine’s success possible. Kingston-Miami Trading Co.’s customers have also brought it to the point where it is today: “The #1 Southeast USA Vendor of Caribbean Ethnic products”. As Patrick says “God loves me and my wife for allowing us to be married for 37 years and in business in the US for 30 years”.