Our sweet, warm, rich Caribbean Bay Leaves are hand-picked at origin at Belmont Estate on the island of Grenada. Completely different from the better known bay laurel leaves, this versatile ingredient adds depth and complexity to stews, curries and baked goods.
Sub for standard bay leaves in any recipe.
Highlights
Ingredients
Caribbean bay leaf (Pimenta racemosa)
Cooking tips
- Add at the start of a soup, stew or braise
- Steep in warm water or milk
- Season your morning oatmeal or porridge
SOURCING
Shadel Nyack Compton runs Belmont Estate, a 17th-century working farm that serves as an agritourism destination an hour's drive from St. George, the capital of Grenada. The family farm grows many spices using organic practices, and they also run a bean-to-bar chocolate shop, goat dairy farm, petting zoo, café, craft market and restaurant that serves traditional Grenadian cuisine. Shadel's vision is to package local, homegrown spices to a wider market.
Our partnership with her has led to an increase in Belmont Estate's manufacturing, handling and processing techniques, as well as new opportunities for revenue streams in a Covid-impacted world. Shadel and her team have worked to plant more trees and develop the organic spice farm, and they have invested in training the harvesting team in regenerative farming, responsible harvesting and in ensuring the utmost care is taken in transporting, cleaning, drying and processing and storing of spices.
They believe the secret to a great product is their love and care for the land and investment in people’s skills. In addition to these wonderful bay leaves, Belmont Estate grows cacao, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric and ginger.