About Gom Food Industries N.V.

• Company status: Limited company (Naamloze Vennootschap, NV)
• Year of registration: 1998
• Number of employees: 32 full time employees and 4 part time employees
• Business sector: Specialty food processing

Kenneth van Gom is a motivated entrepreneur with experience in the export of local products to the Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles. He is the founder and general manager of Gom Food Industries N.V (Gom Food), in charge of the day-to-day operations and workforce management.

Gom Food is a family-owned company producing high quality products under the brand name Sishado. The company produces sauces and marinades based on family recipes containing a mix of Amazonian, Caribbean and Asian ingredients.

Gom Food has become the market leader for sauces and marinades in Suriname, whilst expanding to different parts of the world.

Mission

To establish quality food brands globally and create value for its shareholders and employees

Vision 

To be a Surinamese company that has a leading role in multiple countries in the fancy and healthy food sector.

Background

Before launching his own business, Kenneth was exporting local goods from other producers and got aware of the potential of exports. At the time, his mother Yvonne van Gom was experiencing with small batches of original recipes which were enjoyed by friends and family. Kenneth saw an opportunity in the export market to assist in boosting the national economy through foreign currency. Hence, the idea for the company originated in 1996, and together with Yvonne, they started a tiny business in a small shed of 3 x 4 meters that was set up as a production facility. The company was officially established in 1998 after two years of research and development, and since then, has continuously grown. From a team of mother and son, the company nowadays employs 36 staff members.

Relationships with the community

Gom Food works closely with its suppliers, staff and local communities. The company’s overarching drive is to provide a working environment where people feel engaged and committed, and where it is able to share successes with its local community.

Certifications

Gom Food prides itself in its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices that aim to be fully certified organisation, which procures 100% of its raw materials and packaging materials locally and regionally, with zero waste by 2025. It received the Suriname Trade & Industry Association CSR Award in 2016 and 2017.

Products and markets

The Sishado product range includes eight (8) different sauces, which can be used for seasoning, marinades and barbecues. They are free from any animal protein, artificial sweeteners or gluten.

Sishado marinades are available with the following flavour profiles: sweet-salty (regular and less sugar), salty, hot (regular and less sugar) and indo.

The Sishado Barbeque & Grill and Sishado Pepper Sauce complete the product range.

Gom Food’s products are found on regional markets (Antigua, Curacao, Guyana, French Guiana, Aruba, Sint Maarten and Martinique) and international markets (the Netherlands, France and the United States).

While the main Sishado products are sold through its home branch, the company has 4 private label products that they sell to French Guiana and French overseas territories.

Gom Food has acquired several certifications, including Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP), ISO 22000 and HSEQ (Health, Safety, Environment, Quality).

Innovations: milestones and expansion plans

Gom Food began its venture selling locally, with the intention to be export oriented and initiated its first export in 2001 to the Netherlands.

Thanks to upgrades in its production capacities, Gom Food has grown from producing volumes of 10,000 litres in 2000; to 310,000 litres in 2010 and up to 520,00 litres in 2020. The jump in growth was stimulated when in May 2019, the company upgraded to a new, larger factory which allowed for an increased production capacity of over 300 percent.

Gom Food is continuing this growth by developing additional recipes to soon be put into production. As the company promote healthier lifestyle, the team is researching healthier products with less sugar and salt. In addition to enlarging the product range, the company is making strides towards private and contract labelling, developing new markets, innovation into new labels and continuing to expand its production plant.

The company also plans to plant their own raw materials including peppers and gingers as production inputs.

Lastly, the company is also exploring upcoming regional (Barbados, Guadeloupe, Trinidad and Tobago) and international (Belgium, Canada, England, Germany) markets.

Success factors and lessons learned

Gom Food has been leading the way forward through invests in marketing and developing market entry strategies. In 2003, the company was assisted by the Caribbean Export and Development Agency to do research on the Caribbean market. The company also participates regularly in workshops, seminars and trade fairs, including in 2015 to the world’s leading trade fair for food and beverages, Anuga, Germany. In 2022, Gom Food participated in the world’s biggest food fair, SIAL Paris. The company also invests in research and development to continuously improve its product liability and customer loyalty.

Of key importance has been the registration of its intellectual property trademark in all of the markets the company operates in, and also in markets it may be entering in the future. This assurance has allowed the company to combat counterfeit issues.

These factors have promoted the successful growth of the company and the attainment of many awards, most recently including the Suriname Standards Bureau (SSB) National Quality Awards (2022) in the categories of manufacturing, health and safety and green initiatives.

Additional Resources

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