Belize Sugar Industries (BSI) has entered the local retail market with packaged sugar for the first time, a move that could change how many Belizeans buy sugar for home use, reports Greater Belize Media.
Traditionally, sugar in Belize has been sold to retailers in bulk 50- or 100-pound bags. Shopkeepers would then manually scoop the sugar into small, clear plastic bags, labelling the weight and price with a marker. Wholesalers on Tuesday received the first shipments of the Domino brand, marking a shift toward standardized, factory-sealed packaging.
The packaged sugar is priced higher than the loose version, but BSI says it brings better quality, improved food safety, and less risk of illegal resale across the border.
BSI Financial Manager Shawn Chavarria explained that sugar sold locally has traditionally been handled very differently. He said the company usually sold sugar in large 50- or 100-pound bags to retailers, who then divided it into smaller portions using simple plastic bags and handwritten labels. According to Chavarria, BSI felt consumers deserved a cleaner, higher-quality product that meets proper food standards.
He noted that recent changes to the law, approved earlier this month, made it possible for BSI to sell packaged brown and white sugar directly for the local market. Without those changes, the company would not have been allowed to do so.
Chavarria said BSI is selling the packaged sugar at about 15 cents more per pound at the mill. However, he added that the final price consumers see in supermarkets will depend on how distributors and retailers set their prices.
He also said the new pricing better reflects market conditions and could reduce past problems linked to price differences, including smuggling. Because the sugar is now clearly branded and sealed, he said it will be harder to move and sell illegally.
BSI believes these changes will lower risks for the company and bring more consistency to the local sugar trade, while giving consumers a cleaner and more reliable product option on store shelves.
