NEW YORK, USA — Hundreds of Jamaicans packed First Baptist Church in White Plains, New York, to commemorate the life of pioneering entrepreneur, Jeanette HoSang who, along with her husband, Vincent HoSang, co-founded the New York-based Caribbean Food Delights and Royal Caribbean Bakery.

The Jamaican-born business leader died on August 30, 2024 after a lengthy battle with kidney and heart diseases, a recent release from the companies said.

A registered nurse by profession and an avid tennis player, HoSang migrated to the United States in 1970. The St Catherine High School graduate wasted no time in enrolling into Monroe Business Institute in the Bronx, where she successfully completed a two-year certificate course in computer programming and accounting.

She later attended Pace University in Manhattan where she pursued studies in nursing, obtaining an associate degree, followed by her receiving registered nursing credentials from Long Island University — even while married, juggling work, and raising a family.

She and her husband would later embark on a career in entrepreneurship, opening their first business in 1978 and adding a second in 1980. She continued to work at her nursing job in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of North Central Hospital in the Bronx. As president of Royal Caribbean Bakery, HoSang ran the family’s flagship business in Mount Vernon as well as the bakery’s retail arm, Jerk Q’zine Caribbean Grille. The manufacturing arm — Caribbean Food Delights — was later moved to Tappan where they established a factory.

Last year, as the business and demands for its products grew, Chief Executive Officer Sabrina HoSang Jordan announced a US$17-million upgrade and expansion of its frozen food operations that would see a 15 per cent increase in the production of patties — the company’s flagship product item.

Caribbean Food Delights is now considered the largest global producer of Jamaican-style patties.

The company’s products are also found in some of the largest retail shops across the United States, including including Shop & Stop, Food Lion, and Costo Center.

Among those who paid tribute to the late Jeanette HoSang were Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness; former Prime Minister PJ Patterson; Republican Congressman Mike Lawler; Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke; Ambassador Audrey Marks; and Consul General to New York Alsion Roach.

In his tribute, Prime Minister Holness lauded the late businesswoman and her husband for “accomplishing what many have aspired to — building a thriving business in the United States while remaining true to your roots and continuing to serve as true Jamaicans”.

Former Prime Minister Patterson described her as a “paragon of excellence, a visionary entrepreneur, and a beacon to the Caribbean Diaspora”.

HoSang is survived by her husband Vincent who was recently awarded with the Chicken Coop Caribbean Lifetime Achievement Award, three children, and other relatives. Chicken Coop Caribbean is a New York-based Christian charity which is spending $6 million as part of a poultry farming assistance programme to help small farmers in Jamaica and other Caribbean Islands.

Under the prorgramme, farmers are provided with chickens, chicken feed, vitamins, trays, and other requirements to start their own small business.