Overview
St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has a limited milling capacity that mainly caters to local requirements and focuses on producing different varieties of flour, such as whole wheat and white flour. The primary milling company is the East Caribbean Flour Mills, which can handle large production volumes to meet domestic demand and exports within the Caribbean region. The East Caribbean Feeds Mill also manufactures large volumes of animal feed (29 types) to meet the needs of farmers in the OECS.
However, the milling industry in SVG encounters challenges due to its reliance on imported wheat and potential disruptions in logistics that can impact the supply chain. Despite these challenges, there are ongoing efforts to modernize the milling facilities by upgrading machinery and adopting improved processing techniques.
For more information on milling company contact details, please see the following link: 4.6 Storage and Milling Companies Contact List
Milling Company: East Caribbean Flour Mills
East Caribbean Flour Mills (ECFM), a subsidiary of the East Caribbean Group of Companies (ECGC), commenced operations on December 11, 1977, striving to deliver top-quality flour derived from wheat. The company has eight brands of flours fortified with essential vitamins and iron. ECFM has a quality assurance in-house laboratory. The products undergo quality testing during production and before packing. This test is for the gluten level and to ensure the moisture level does not exceed 14 percent, per OECS standards.
The company imports raw materials from North America. The supplier sends the analysis of the wheat to the company. Upon receiving the grains, quality testing is performed on wheat samples to ensure they meet the required standards and specifications. The grains are uploaded to the grain hopper (30-40mt), and they pass through a 7.5mt/hr grain separator to the conveyor belt, which leads to the weight verification site and silos. The maximum amount of grain receipt is 11,500 mt, with 7,000mt being wheat.
In 2022, ECGC invested about US$ 3.7 million to expand its flour production capacity by 34%1. During this assessment, the project was in the installation phase. There are also new sanitary facilities for the flour and feed mill.
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Contact Names and Email |
Telephone and Fax |
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|---|---|---|
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East Caribbean Flour Mills |
Name: Phyllis James Title: Head of People and Culture Email: pjames@ecgcsvg.com Name: Rachel Halsam Title: Export Manager Email: rhalsam@ecgcsvg.com Web: www.ecgcsvg.com |
Tel:+1 7844571918 Fax: N/A |
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Summary of Role and Services |
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The East Caribbean Group of Companies has a flour mill and feed mill. Flour mill services include a wheat mill and flour production. The Feed mill services include the production of animal feed. |
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Facilities |
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|---|---|---|
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Parking Area Inside Compound (m²) |
1858m2 |
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Drainage |
Good |
|
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Fire Fighting Equipment |
Yes |
|
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Number of Ventilators (screened) |
Existing mill- 22 (4ft x 4ft) windows |
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Electricity Load (KVA) (For the Mill in full production) |
1038KVA (in full production) |
|
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Backup Generator(s) |
Yes |
Production: 900KVA Lighting: 300 KVA |
Milling Equipment
|
Origin of Machinery |
Year of Manufacture |
Year of Installation |
Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Brazil |
2022 |
2024 |
Good |
|
Germany |
1976 |
1977 |
Good |
Other Equipment or Machinery Installed
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Type of Equipment |
Available |
Number |
Owned |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fortification Feeder |
Yes |
7 |
Yes |
|
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Bag Cleaning Plant |
No |
N/A |
N/A |
Bags are single-use. |
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Moisture Tester |
Yes |
2 |
Yes |
|
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De-stoning Plant |
Yes |
1 |
Yes |
|
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Metal Extractor |
Yes |
7 |
Yes |
ECFM also has a metal detector. |
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Staffing |
|
|---|---|
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Number of Full Time Skilled Workers |
>40 |
|
Number of Full Time Labourers |
<40 |
Weighbridge
|
Number |
1 |
Capacity (mt) |
Length (m) |
Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Within Compound |
20 |
13 |
Rice Lake |
|
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Within Compound |
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| Building |
Length (m) |
Width (m) |
Height (m) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Building – Wheat Mill |
Existing Mill New Mill |
25.5 25 |
16 8 |
19 21 |
|
Building – Maize Mill |
A hammer mill is used to process maize for animal feed production. |
NA |
NA |
NA |
|
Structure |
|
Steel frame |
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Walls |
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Existing Mill- Concrete New Mill– Galvanised panel cladding |
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Roof |
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Existing Mill – Zinc aluminium sheets New Mill– Concrete |
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Floor |
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Existing Mill – Concrete and wood New Mill – Concrete |
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Conditions & Cleanliness
|
|
Outside |
Inside |
|---|---|---|
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Cracks in Walls or Roof |
No |
No |
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Signs of Rodent Activity |
No |
No |
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Signs of Birds Entry |
No |
No |
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Damaged Gutters/Drains |
No |
No |
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Signs of Moisture |
No |
No |
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Adjacent Vegetation |
No |
No |
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Cleanliness |
Good |
Good |
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Pest Control |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Fumigation |
Yes |
Frequency |
Quarterly |
Contracted |
No |
|
Spraying |
Yes |
Frequency |
Quarterly |
Contracted |
No |
|
Rodenticides |
Yes |
Frequency |
Monthly |
Contracted |
No |
|
Rodent Trapping |
Yes |
Frequency |
Daily |
Contracted |
No |
|
Security |
|
|---|---|
|
Security |
Good |
|
Compound |
Fenced |
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Other Comments |
ISPS compliant |
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Access |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
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Distance from Main Town (km) |
5.1km |
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Travel Time if not Located in Town (minutes) |
12 minutes |
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Road Condition to Mill |
Good |
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Road Limitations (if any) |
N/A |
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Rail Connections |
N/A |
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On the Railway From |
N/A |
To |
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Other Comments |
N/A |
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Milling Capacity
|
Commodities |
Daily Capacity (MT) |
Monthly Activity (MT) |
|---|---|---|
|
Wheat |
100mt |
|
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Maize |
30mt per day |
Storage Capacity
|
Storage in Metric Tons |
Wheat – Covered (MT) |
Flour – Covered (MT) |
|---|---|---|
|
Within the Compound |
7,840mt |
160mt |
|
Outside the Compound |
1680mt |
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Capacity to Blend |
|---|
|
Yes |
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Loading & Discharge Rates |
|---|
|
About 500mt per 8 hours shift and exports about 18 containers per week |
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Transport Capacity at Mill |
|---|
|
ECGC has two haulage trucks (36 mt) used to move consignments to and from the port. ECGC also has two 40ft container chassis and ten 20ft flatbeds. |
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Additional Notes |
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ECFM fumigates all exports and conducts daily inspections at the plant. If necessary, spot fumigation is performed before the quarterly scheduled fumigation. ECFM also utilizes an Entoleter (150 rpm) that employs mechanical impact and centrifugal force to eliminate insects and their eggs in flour and other dry products. |
Source:
1 https://www.world-grain.com/articles/16598-new-flour-mill-planned-for-the-caribbean
