KRALENDIJK – Those who regularly shop on Kaya Industria may have noticed that a new store has opened in the last few days. It’s called Canarbo, describing itself as an Epicurian Market.

Although the store is new, the company is not. Canarbo has been supplying products to various catering establishments for over 10 years. Now, the next step has been taken with a store where individual shoppers can also drop by. The driving forces behind Canarbo are Canadian Brian Battha and his Bonaire-born wife, Indira Charles.

“We have been supplying various customers for years, but we were always more towards the back of the premises, so most people had no idea of our existence,” says Battha. However, the couple sees opportunities in a market where more and more stores sell exactly the same products. In contrast, Canarbo offers products that are not available elsewhere on the island. This includes an extensive range of fish and shellfish, high-quality meats, special cheeses, unique or hard-to-find ingredients, a comprehensive Vegan section, and an enormous selection of nuts from the Curacao-based company Nuthouse.

Proud

Battha and Charles are clearly proud of their store, which also has a luxurious interior. “I am also proud that as a person born on the island, I bring this together with Brian. We increasingly deal with companies that come from outside to do business on the island. But we have been running this business together for over ten years and with success,” says a passionate Charles.

Although Battha and Charles are happy to have opened just before Christmas, the store is not quite ready yet. “Actually, the name sign should already be hanging on the facade, but as you can see, it’s not there yet.” Also, in the assortment, which seems very complete at first glance, there are still missing items. “One pallet of ordered goods has not been shipped at all, and another pallet with our stuff was sent to the wrong island,” says Charles, who by now knows that things around Christmas always go a bit chaotic.

Photo

Battha and Charles do not want to be in the photo themselves. “Oh no, I don’t like that at all,” laughs Charles. “It’s about the store, not about us.”

The word “epicurian” is used, among other things, to describe a person who enjoys the good life, especially in the realm of food and drink.