Everything Fresh Limited has begun branding a growing number of its frozen and chilled products under its own label as part of a broader effort to increase profit margins and deepen its footprint in the retail space, particularly through supermarket channels.

“We’re now branding quite a few of our products that are in the retail space that previously would have appeared as generic products,” Chairman Gregory Pullen told the Jamaica Observer on Monday. “Our wraps are now branded, some of our dairy products, a lot of our frozen products like the frozen fruit, and then we’re going to have a line of frozen vegetables all branded coming out shortly.”

The shift to branding has already paid off.

“Just by branding those items that go into the retail sector, the sales actually increased by 20 per cent,” he added.

The company is also expanding into beverages, with plans to introduce branded wines and a line of mixed liquors such as piña colada and Cuba libre.

This retail-focused strategy dovetails with Everything Fresh’s broader move to diversify its client base beyond the hotel sector, which has traditionally been a core market. According to Pullen, the company is deliberately boosting its presence in supermarkets and other retail outlets because non-hotel sales offer better profit margins.

Still, he cautions that the shift is a balancing act.

“The non-hotel sales are primarily denoted in Jamaican dollars, and then all of our purchases are in US dollars. So we need to ensure that we have enough US dollar sales to fund purchases, or else we’ll end up having to buy foreign exchange on the market, and then there’ll be losses because of that,” he explained.

Everything Fresh’s 2024 audited results reflect the growing pains associated with this expansion. While revenue climbed by 15.9 per cent to $3.68 billion, net profit dropped by more than two-thirds to $32.1 million, down from $100.4 million in 2023. The company attributed the dip in earnings to a significant increase in administrative and marketing expenses as it ramped up hiring, expanded storage facilities, and invested in logistics and a new accounting system to integrate its Jamaican and Bahamian operations.

“We were spending more on marketing because as we enter a supermarket business, we’re selling to more retail operations…advertising and promotions [were] up by 50 per cent,” said Pullen.

The Bahamas arm, which accounts for roughly 21 per cent of group revenue, continues to deliver strong results. Growth there is being driven by food service sales to hotels, supported by a more stable economy and fewer import restrictions than Jamaica.

“The Bahamas is doing well. All of this expenditure and this preparation was because we saw the potential for growth there really through the organic increase in sales,” the chairman told the Business Observer, adding that group sales in the first quarter of 2025 were already ahead of the previous year.

In addition to branding, the company has been testing the market for healthier products, including plant-based options, as part of a wider strategy to respond to shifting consumer preferences.

“We are experimenting with quite a few plant-based products now,” said Pullen. While those are largely sourced from Europe, the company plans to share more details as the line develops.

Looking ahead, Pullen said the company expects to recover from the profit slump as recent investments in infrastructure, systems, and product development begin to bear fruit.

“We expect that the increased capacity and the improvement in logistics and accounting will bear fruit with regard to increased sales and stronger controls in 2025,” he said.

Pullen noted that the company has also made significant progress on its expansion to a third market. However, details of the geographic location remain undisclosed.

Imported gluten-free bread products such as Little Northern Bakehouse’s Millet & Chia remain part of Everything Fresh’s portfolio as the company broadens its offerings in the health-conscious food segment.