Chow Extreme

“I grow fruits and vegetables organically and we had a lot of pest problems with our crops. Our main crop at the time was cucumbers but not regular cucumbers, European cucumbers. Apart from doing organic crops we tend to do unusual and uncommon fruits and vegetables.

The European cucumbers took off and a lot of persons began buying (them), but what also happens is that organic pest control does not lend itself well to good control so we were getting cucumbers with some holes in them. Then we got an influx of European cucumber with so many holes, that instead of wasting it we began making chow with them and giving it complementary to our customers,” Dickson explains to Business Day of the genesis of the company.

“People would ask how much for the chow and when they heard it was free they would advise us to sell it, but at the time we did not. We preferred to make chow than throw away the cucumbers. However, when our crops were devastated by pests and we had nothing to sell my wife said, ‘why not start selling chow, every Trinidadian loves chow’,” he said.

The father and son duo registered Chow Extreme in 2015 and started off with $280 spent on equipment like containers and spoons. At the launch of the company they were sold out and generated a substantial profit. Since then the family business has taken off and has been contracted for a number of events.

“The largest event we have done for three years in a row is Shades Premium All-inclusive Breakfast Party. We appreciate Michael Sealy and his wife for the opportunity. The first year we had to prepare for 500 people, it was amazing,” Dickson said.

They have also catered chow for pool parties, and the Mango Festival and Pineapple Festival at the Santa Cruz Green Market.

Dickson and Duranty can be found every Saturday at the Santa Cruz Green Market, selling their organically grown fruits and vegetables along with their signature chows.

“We have an estate in Brazil, Trinidad and a farm in Orange Grove. Our aim is to be 100 per cent self-sustaining in the products we use. We started off with cucumbers, then plums came in season we did plum chow, then mangoes and pommecythere. Eventually we decided to have something consistent and since pineapples are year-round, that became the main chow we would do.

Thanks to pineapple farmer Navin Ramroop we have a steady flow of pineapples for our customers, who are both locals and foreigners alike, to enjoy. Chow Extreme was registered two years ago, but we were doing this long before. All our inputs are locally produced, most of the products are grown by us with the exception of the pineapples,” Duranty said.

“Some of the things we use to make chow and garnish it with are: radish, zucchini, wax apple, passion fruit, sugar cane, coconut, lime juice, five fingers, guava, micro cucumber, European cucumber, dragon’s egg cucumber, portugal and various types of mangoes, all of which are locally and organically produced by us,” Dickson explained.

They are firmly against the use of preservatives in their chows, and in the past they have been approached by people to get their products on supermarket shelves. But they declined. “We like to create the product, fresh for customers on the spot so that they can appreciate the various taste of the fruits,” added Dickson passionately.

“Usually it takes us between five and 12 minutes to prepare and customise a chow for a customer.

We have some of the garnish items prepped already but there are some things that need to be done on site,” Duranty explained. “We also use sea salt, garlic, cayenne pepper, scorpion pepper and cilantro. The amount of pepper given is based on the customer’s preference.” Their signature pineapple chows are the Aristocrat and the Supreme Aristocrat, which they said are environmentally friendly. “The idea of making the chow within a fruit like the pineapple or cantaloupe is because it is bio-degradable and eliminates the use of plastic bags or plastic bowls,” simultaneously creating a unique presentation.

So what sets Chow Extreme apart from other chow makers? They believe it is taste and presentation.

“It’s not always about being hot. We garnish our chows so you can taste and appreciate the different fruits,” added Dickson.

As an organic farmer Dickson is also a part of the Santa Cruz Green Market’s Community Supported Agriculture programme, which is the primary method for achieving the Green Market’s objective of changing existing patterns of production and consumption.

Families support the farmers through monthly subscriptions paid in advance, which allows the farmers to plan and plant the healthier, fresher food that the families want.

“We are also with Alliance of Rural Communities of Trinidad and Tobago, a group based in Brasso Seco, we supply them as well as.

They also do organic baskets.

“Some people only appreciate organic foods when a family member gets ill and they realise how much artificial foods and preservatives they have been eating and some appreciate organic food before that happens. Many persons say organic fruits and vegetables have a longer shelf life,” Dickson said.