Our Mission
Our mission is to provide excellent
customer service and competitive prices,
as we offer our valued customers a wide
variety of specialty products and services
from (or influenced by) the Caribbean.
Our Vision
Our vision is to harness technology,
innovation and partnerships to become
globally recognized as the premier
supplier of Caribbean goods and services.
Our Motto
“Do Unto Others as You Would Want Them
Do Unto You.” In other words, we treat our
customers the way we want to be treated.
Sam's Caribbean Marketplace
1993-Present
We're passionate about Caribbean food. That's whiy in 1993 we opened our doors with one goal in mind: to make the best Caribbean food accessible to the world. That mission motivates us every day as we strive to serve you better. While you browse these pages, you will quickly discover the largest selection of authentic Caribbean food products anywhere on the web.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We'd be delighted to answer all your questions. Happy shopping.
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1993-Present
Sam's Then And Now
Our Founders
Jean & Andrew Morris
Sam's Caribbean Marketplace was founded on December 10, 1993 by a wife and husband team, Jean and Andrew Morris. This was a leap of faith for the recently-married couple, as neither had any experience in the retail trade. Jean is a registered nurse, by profession, and Andrew had previously worked in newspaper and book publishing. Jean grew up in Richmond, St. Mary, Jamaica, and Andrew hails from Linstead, St. Catherine, Jamaica.
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Andrew & Jean Morris
Co-Founders
A Concise History of Sam's Caribbean Marketplace
Sam's Caribbean Marketplace has a deep, proud, and rich history that is deeply rooted in Nassau County, New York, USA. Here, we are delighted to share some key milestones in our evolution.
September 1993: Andrew & Jean Morris registered Sam’s Caribbean Marketplace, Inc. as a NY State Corporation.
December 10, 1993: Sam’s opened its 1,600 square-foot retail store in the parking lot at 43D Main Street, Hempstead, New York. Rain, snow and sleet dampened our grand opening.
January 23, 1994: Both the NY Times and Long Island's Newsday newspapers published stories about Sam’s Caribbean Marketplace, on the same day. The NY Times called Sam’s a “hidden treasure.”
April 1994: Using a small toaster oven on loan from Jean's Mom, Sam’s launched its beef patty business, selling mostly to our neighbors at Nakisaki Jamaican-Chinese Restaurant. Over time, patty sales surpassed 250,000 units annually.
June 1994: Sam’s held its first Customer Appreciation Week.
October 17, 2000: The Wall Street Journal featured Sam’s Caribbean Marketplace on the cover of its "Marketplace" section.
June 2003: Sam’s launched its first online store, which was soon discontinued.
August 2003: Sam’s won the Jamaica National Overseas award for “Outstanding Performance in Volume of Money Transfer”.
September 2004: Town of Hempstead honored Sam’s with a Certificate of Recognition for Distinguished Service & Commitment to the Community.
June 2005: Sam’s launched www.Sams247.Com, our worldwide access to Sam’s Caribbean.
June 2006: Sam’s first Patty-Eating Contest.
June 2011: Hempstead Village honored Sam’s with its Community Service Award.
October 2011: Andrew Morris won the coveted Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce Outstanding Business Person of the Year Award.
November 2011: Sam’s received the Caribbean Heritage Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurial Leadership, Innovation and Creativity, presented by the Long Island Caribbean American Association, Inc.
February 28, 2012: After 18 years, Sam’s moved from its Hempstead home to 225 Hempstead Turnpike, West Hempstead, NY.
March 2012: By selling the most copies of the Gleaner newspapers, Sam’s won The North American Gleaner’s Honor Award for Outstanding Performance in Sales.
March 2012: Café on the Island, Sam’s in-store restaurant, began serving delicious “home-cooked” meals.
February 2014: Sam's launched its BreadAndButterExpress.com: the fast, easy way to send groceries and cooking gas to loved ones in Jamaica.
October 2015: The Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations (UJAA), USA, honored Sam’s with its Lifetime Achievement Award.
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We Got Help from Our Late Parents
Our Parents Were There for Us
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Violet & Sam Bonar
Jean's Parents
Sam's Caribbean Marketplace was named after Jean's father, Edward Samuel Bonar. One fateful day, a couple weeks before Jean and Andrew registered the company, Sam Bonar left home for work, and he never returned. He died, at age 63, after suffering a massive heart attack. With the approval of his wife, Violet, Sam's Caribbean Marketplace was named to honor his memory.
Ivy & Kenneth Morris
Andrew's Parents
Ivy and Kenneth Morris loaned the budding entrepreneurs, Andrew & Jean, $6,000 to get Sam's Caribbean off the Ground. Jean and Andrew used the funds to purchase badly-needed starting inventory.
Great Caribbean Food Brands & Caribbean Services
Featured Caribbean Food Brands & Services
Sam's Caribbean Marketplace stocks an extensive range of the most popular and loved food brands found in the Caribbean as well as brands popular within the Caribbean diaspora in the United States. In addition to our array of Caribbean food brands, we also offer a range of useful Caribbean services, such as JN Money Transfer, Bill Payment, Third-Party Bank Transfers, Hire-Purchase Payments, Cellphone Recharge, Door-to-Door Delivery in Jamaica, In-Store Pack and Ship Services, and much more.
Hungry?
JN Money Services
Big Bamboo
Digicel (Caribbean)
Take a Look at Our First TV Commercial!
Throwback to 1999
We shot our first television commercial back in 1999. The ad features Rosann Small-Morgan and Sam's CEO, Andrew Morris.
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Our First TV Ad
Video features Roseann Small-Morgan and Andrew Morris, CEO of Sam's Caribbean Marketplace, Inc.
The World Loves What We Do
We Love What We Do, and...
Here are a few of the dozens of plaques, citations, certificates and press overages we have received. We have been recognized by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Long Island's Newsday, The New York Daily News, The Jamaica Gleaner, Where Itz At Magazine, Street Hype Newspaper, WCBS TV, News 12 Long Island, and many others.