WHEN YOU HEAR the name Meadows In the Sun you think of a sunny field with tall grass somewhere in the countryside and maybe a cow or two grazing.
For businessman Andrew Marshall the name conjures the images of something happy and bright.
“I wanted to name my business Sunny Meadows and that name was already taken so I thought the next best name was Meadows In The Sun and everybody seems to love the name.
“We started making wines from carambola and everybody seemed to love them so we decided to go to the stage it is at today. It is a dream, when I was a boy I wanted to learn how to make wine and I just followed that dream until three years ago when I really got the hang of it and every day I’m trying to improve more and more,” he told BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY.
What makes Meadows In the Sun stand out is the range of wines made.
Apart from the fruity wines such as sorrel, banana, gooseberry, mango and passion fruit, which is low in sugar, Marshall’s brand includes roses, Zinfandels, cabernet and ports infused with chocolate and raspberry or orange that offers a rich, smooth flavour.
“One of the things I did to learn about them was bought wines to get the taste and then I worked on mine. We have many types of wine. We have more wine right now than I can think of. I only have to sit and think and whatever comes to my mind I do it. We sometimes blend our wines, for example our mango and our sorrel, and then we call it exotic. When you drink the port you actually taste the chocolate and the fruit.
“We buy a lot of fruits from people around. I have a lot of fruit trees as well because I like dealing with fruit. I like agriculture so I plant a lot of trees, most of my fruit comes from at me but every now and then I go out and buy some,” he shared.
Production of wines
Marshall has two assistants who work with the production of the wines and the preserved fruits that he sells. Flora Puckering is involved in the production of the wines “99 per cent of the time” and knows the entire process.
“Usually wines take about 28 days to make and after that the remaining time is curing and that can last from a month to years. The older they get the better they are,” the entrepreneur said.
The wine maker was one of a handful of people who came under the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation umbrella at Agrofest 2015.
Businessman Andrew Marshall affixing the label to a bottle. (below)
During a visit to his St George business, Marshall gave a tour and demonstrated the production process, from the picking of the fruit to packing the finished product for delivery.
While most of his sales come through word of mouth, people who “pop in” to buy a couple bottles and those who place special orders, Marshall said he is moving to have the products sold in more outlets apart from the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation’s retail stores.
He is also hoping to break into overseas markets. Marshall also makes cool ades, ice cream and sorbets which are also sold on a smaller scale and more so for special events, including trade shows, and when he is entertaining friends. He also preserves fruits.
“We have gooseberry, tamarind balls, dried carambola, carambola in syrup. Just name it in the line of agriculture, we do it,” he added.
In 10 years, he intends to have an international winery set up here and he is “working on it right now very hard”.
He said he does not mind taking baby steps because he wants to make sure they are compliant with international standards when they are ready.
Within the next few weeks, Marshall will be upgrading his equipment and improving his production process in preparation for bigger and better things. (Green Bananas Media)