As I mentioned in my last exciting purchases post Crazy Fun Chetumal Mexico Shopping, shopping in Belize is limited, especially on Ambergris Caye. Although I will say it has come a long way since I first moved here in January 2006.
So you can imagine my excitement when my friend Leisa was taking her husband Cowboy Doug and I to lunch and she happened to mention that our mutual friend and local business owner, Shawn Keating had opened up a new store called Island Depot and they were selling Trader Joes products. She told me not to get too excited as it was likely limited stock. Too late 😀 An instant vision flashed before my eyes of the first time I set foot in that store when I was in Arizona for the big annual Gem show. I remembered feeling like a kid in a candy store who could not get enough. That feeling was short lived as we did not have the popular grocery chain in Canada. I did go back every chance I got when in the states though.
At the time, Leisa could not remember the name of the store so she said she would look when she was driving by on her way home. I sent her a reminder text and this was her reply “I looked yesterday when I went by. There was no name that I could see. It is almost to the bridge in the west side, almost directly across from the tire fix it spot. It’s a shorter building and not too wide, has 2 sets of doors.”
Good enough for me (I am used to this type of Belize directions) so I set out on foot to see what I would find. She had also mentioned he was selling Costco products so I was hopeful I would score something good and find a new regular place to shop.
Found It No Problem
When I got to the store Nita (Shawn’s Wife) happened to be there and she was happy to tell me more. Shawn (owns well known Mechanic Shop on the island) will occasionally be going back to the states and they will be doing custom orders for Trader Joes. You can contact her at nitamarin1969@yahoo[dot]com for more details. His next trip will be closer to Christmas.
While at the store I took a few pictures. They also sell Members Mark which is a Sam’s Club brand and locally farmed Reinland Meats.
Of course I had to do some product testing and I bought the Mesquite BBQ chips and a steak.
Island Wine Drinkers
You will be happy to know that in the $26 price range you can get a wide selection. They have Malbec, Merlot, Black Point, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pino Grigio, White Zinfadel, They also offer four, 3 litre boxed wine options -Sauvignon Blank, Cabernet, Sauvignon, Shardonay and Shiraz.
For people like me (who know nothing about wine) it makes it easy to know I am getting something decent for the price if I have to get some for a dinner.
Other Available Products
In addition to Trader Joes, Island Depot also sells some other good stuff.
Back to food of course. There are 3 different producers of met that I have enjoyed beef from in Belize and Reinland meats is one of them. All their products are great and I was happy to see such a large selection in the freezer. Quicker and easier to go for a walk and shop than order online and have it flown over. Below that is Caribbean Chicken they are the up and coming taste in the chicken world.
Lastly I threw in a few household items, handy to be able to buy in bulk size.
