Three Bay Island Entrepreneurs

It seems entrepreneurs are newly minted on the little island of Roatan nearly every month these days.

Take Butch and Sherry. They own the Bulk Gourmet. Say you'd like a taste of caviar. Would you prefer to buy a small tin at an inflated price--or how about buying in bulk at a competitive price and dining for a month on your secret stash...or throwing a party for your friends?

We bought two individually wrapped filet mignons at the Bulk Gourmet to celebrate our final move to Roatan. The price for the over-three-inch-thick filets seemed excessive (close to $20 for the two)...until we took our first bite. The finest filets we've ever eaten. We also chose a Danish feta from among a large selection of imported cheeses. The Bulk Gourmet also carries flours for baking, pastas, exotic nuts and candies, jams, olives, pickles, special foreign beers, even Dr. Brown's sodas. While you're making up your mind what you can't live without, enjoy a simple lunch at the counter or one of the few tables. The Black Angus burger ($2) is particularly recommended.

Butch and Sherry lived on Roatan for nearly five years before recognizing an island need they thought they could fill. They'll special order practically anything in the food world for you--just put in your request. You can contact them at tel. (504)969-7591; e-mail: sbRoatan@earthlink.net. Or drop in to see them at Bulk Gourmet, Jackson Plaza, across from the Texaco station on the way to French Harbour.

Another enterprising young couple, Val and Jana, have cornered the Roatan market with their hydroponically grown lettuces, tomatoes (full size and cherry), and fresh spices, including basil, oregano, thyme, and bay leaves. The Blue Harbor Plantation couple are fulfilling a dream to operate a top-level hydroponics farm. Future plans involve a 1,000 fruit tree orchard. They're finding a market in the growing numbers of better local markets, hotels, resorts, and restaurants.

Gil Garcia, born in Honduras but raised in Miami, wants to bring hard-to-find products to your island door. Sam's Club, Home Depot, and Granger's, for example, have signed up as providers. Visit his business (the Mail Room), check out catalogs for what you want, log onto his high-speed Internet service, and send in your order. If you don't already have an account with the stores, you can use his commercial one. Gil will see that your merchandise is delivered to the shipper in Miami, then flown to Roatan for pickup at the Mail Room. Don't need your order that quickly? Gil can arrange for it to be delivered by ship.

Gil's Mail Room (located in the same building as Paradise Computer on the entry road to Coxen Hole) also provides mail-forwarding services. Sign up, and you'll have a Miami address from which your letters and packages are forwarded to your island account. And you can send mail and parcels worldwide from the Mail Room. Gil also carries assorted vitamins and pet supplies, and will special order items by request.

Catherine McCabe
for International Living