Buy Meal.com - Guide to Good Food

NY-Based Caribbean Food Retailer Turns 14, Offers Free Shipping to US Troops

Email 50 Million Daily - FREE!

Hempstead, NY (PRWEB) October 6, 2007 -- Sam's Caribbean Marketplace celebrates 14 years as a New York-based Caribbean food retailer by launching 14 days of free shipping to members of the United States Armed Forces. The offer kicks off at the start of the Christmas shopping season on Black Friday, November 23, and extends through Friday December 7, 2007.

"When we examined the customer data for www.sams24-7.com, our online Caribbean store, we discovered that nearly twenty percent of our patrons were US military personnel," says Andrew Morris, President and CEO of Sam's Caribbean Marketplace. Mr. Morris pointed out that over 68,000 foreign-born men and women serve in the US armed forces, of which 40 percent are from the Caribbean and Latin America. "Cognizant of those facts, we committed ourselves to doing something special for our troops as part of our anniversary celebration, in time for the Christmas shopping season."

Janice Julian, Customer Service Manager for www.sams247.com and Sam's Caribbean Marketplace, says the offer is open to all US military personnel and their loved ones who ship to them. "It's really quite simple: Any member of the US military and anyone purchasing for a family member or a friend who is in the military qualifies for this generous offer. We only require a shipping address that is obviously a military base, an APO, an FPO and so on." Ms. Julian says customers have three options to place their orders: "The most convenient is to call our toll-free order line at 1-877-U-GO-SAMS (1-877-846-7267). For the more computer savvy, visit our virtual Caribbean store at www.sams24-7.com. Finally, customers in New York City and Long Island can hop over to our retail store located in the parking lot behind 43 Main Street, Hempstead, New York.

"I should also point out," says Ms. Julian, "military customers who shop online will notice a shipping charge on the checkout page. However, we do not charge anyone's credit card online; we charge only when we ship. So we will make sure that those apparent charges are not passed on to any military shipments during the fourteen-day period."

Andrew Morris, a native of Jamaica, founded Sam's Caribbean Marketplace in 1993 after two exhaustive years of research and planning, and another two years minting an MBA from Columbia University. Although he had no prior experience in retail, he crafted a business plan and braced himself for the challenge. "Because of my preparation, I felt quite confident and excited, but not everyone shared my exuberance. I remember showing my business plan to a SCORE councilor. He struck an X through almost every page and said bluntly, 'Don't you see that this is garbage? There's no market for this Caribbean stuff! This will never work. Go find yourself something else to do.' As I left the building I muttered, 'This guy just doesn't understand. He really doesn't get it.'"

Over 1.4 million customers later, Sam's Caribbean Marketplace currently markets about 2,000 Caribbean products through its single 1,578 square-foot retail location and its ecommerce website. According to Mr. Morris, "Many of our Caribbean products appeal to consumers who have never even been to the Caribbean. Our two top-selling products, our Jamaican Beef Patties (http://www.sams247.com/Patties-howto.aspx) and our Jamaican Black Castor Oil (http://www.sams247.com/jamaican-black-castor-oil.aspx), for example, have great mass appeal.

"We pride ourselves on being the Jamaican patty king of Long Island and of the web because we offer over a dozen varieties of Jamaican-style patties. Both Caribbean and non-Caribbean nationals love our Jamaican patties for their low prices, hearty flavors and versatility. You can eat patties on the run or on a plate, and they come spicy or mild and with a range of fillings such as beef, curried or jerk chicken, vegetable, shrimp and soy. We even carry three flavors of miniature Jamaican cocktail patties, which are perfect for parties and get-togethers."

The 47-year-old entrepreneur says that Sam's Tropic Isle brand Jamaican Black Castor Oil is almost as popular as the Jamaican beef patties, but for obviously different reasons. "Our unrefined Jamaican Black Castor Oil, or JBCO as some aficionados call it, is perhaps the purest form of Castor oil available: it's salt-free and contains no other additives. Hair enthusiasts around the world sing its praises on internet forums such as Black Hair Media Forums and Long Hair Care Forums (http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116889). Our castor oil is produced in small quantities by a few elderly Jamaican women who rigorously adhere to an ancient Maroon formula. The oil has a variety of curative properties, but it's best known for thickening the hair and expelling wastes and toxins from the skin."

Besides patties and oils, Sam's Caribbean Marketplace sells hard-to-find herbs and spices, dangerously hot Scotch Bonnet pepper sauces, a multitude of authentic jerk seasonings and sauces, breads and spice buns, exotic teas and Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, black fruit cakes laced with over-proof white rum, herbal remedies, jams and jellies, gift baskets, black dolls dressed in brightly-colored Caribbean flags, and Calypso and Reggae CDs and DVDs (http://www.sams247.com/foods2/02Foods_Caribbean_Products.aspx). The majority of Caribbean products marketed by Sam's Caribbean Marketplace are manufactured in Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago.

For more information on Sam's Caribbean Marketplace, its fourteenth anniversary celebration or its free-shipping offer to the US military, contact Andrew Morris.

Contact:

Andrew Morris, President & CEO

Sam's Caribbean Marketplace, Inc.

516-481-6602 ext. 101

press(at)sams24-7.com

# # #

MORE ARTICLES:

New e-Book Makes Japanese Cooking Simple: "Recipes from Tomoko's Samurai Kitchen"
Visit www.japanescookingmadesimple.com for details and a free recipe.

Bestselling Dietary Author Felicia Drury Kliment Launches Website for Healthy Holiday Eating
Author Felicia Drury Kliment, The Acid Alkaline Balance Diet, and Eat Right For Your Metabolism, launches her new site and provides invaluable tips for eating right for the holidays, including a few pineapple slices that could help reduce weight gain.

Outdoor Cooking Accessories For Those Without Fireproof Fingers.Outdoor Cooking Accessories For Those Without Fireproof Fingers
Long ago there was a lightning storm followed by a forest fire and man, or his ancestors, discovered that food cooked out of doors tasted great But as soon as man discovered the delights of barbecue and all the rest he discovered too that hot food burns ? and this was long before the invention of Elastoplast and burn cream

Upcoming Jatropha "Food vs. Fuel" Webcast to Address Investor Concerns
As a precursor to the second JatrophaWorld 2008 conference scheduled June 9-11, 2008 in Miami, Florida, U.S., a free webcast will be held May 22nd to address hard-hitting questions by Jatropha investors. Two of the expert panelists scheduled to speak at the conference, Russell Teall and Dr. Charles Fishel, will be conducting the webcast. Topics of discussion will include Jatropha's yield and advantages over other energy crops, its sustainability and use as a biofuel, current risks and barriers to Jatropha investments and the "food vs. fuel" debate.

Food On Tv
For some time now I have been watching an Emmy-winning television personality and author who hosts at least four different programs on U.S. cable television's Food Network. Rachael Domenica Ray, has become one of my favorite culinary experts as her energetic personality and her smile have been enough to keep me in front of the TV screen to watch her teach simple recipes that she claims can be prepared in thirty minutes or less.

Employee Development And Leadership Training Company Now Offering Two Food Safety E-Learning Courses
Certified professional food safety courses now offered by leading e-learning company specializing in employee development and leadership training.

Over 10 Percent of Oregon Households Struggling to Put Food On the Table
Over 50,000 pounds to be raised by December 14.

A Diet Primer For Health Food And Vitamins
Quite often, we want to eat healthier but don?t know exactly how to start. Sometimes food you think might be good may in fact not be right for you, and vice-versa. This article looks at some simple diet changes you can start to make right away that will improve your overall health.

Cooking Mexican Food With Children
There are few things as enjoyable as spending time with your children or grandchildren Whether you are playing tag, hide and seek, or simply watching a kid?s movie for the umpteenth time because it is your grandson?s favorite, both the child and the adult reap the benefits of spending time together

How to Grow Cooking Herbs
Grow your own cooking herbs to add fresh zest and flavor to your menus year-round!Is It a Cooking Herb or a Spice?The first thing to know in selecting which herbs to grow is the difference between cooking (culinary) herbs and spices. The cinnamon stick you put in your hot chocolate or apple cider is a spice while the parsley on the edge of your plate is an herb.

Recommended Food To Eat For High Blood Pressure
?You are what you eat? We have all heard this saying in many different contexts

Taste of Crete Participating in Taste of Home Magazine Cooking School
Taste of Crete, a gourmet food company that focuses on the healthy foods of Greece will be one of the exhibitors at The Taste of Home Cooking School being held at Raritan Valley Community College on March 22.

Is Your Out Of Control Spending Eating Your Money?
Are you getting past due notices on bills you thought you paid? Did you try to take money out of your bank account and you found out it?s overdrawn? Or, did you try to pay for your groceries and found out that your check was rejected and you can?t pay for your groceries for your family? Or maybe, you went to your favorite retail store to purchase an item you thought you could not live without and attempted to charge it to your credit card and you were told your purchase is declined? You probably have the symptoms of spending which is out of control.

Saving Money On Your Food Bill
The money you spend on groceries is an area of your home budget that you can really save some money on. In our situation we are a family of four and our budget is $125.00 per week. I would not say we are pinching pennies, and by no means are we being extravagant. We also live in the Pacific Northwest. Prices do vary somewhat according to where you live.