Set at the High Commission HQ for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, in London, the Caribbean Food and Drink Conference & Expo 2015 was officially launched.

To initiate and undertake commercial initiatives with suitable global partners, CFDE 2015, a collaboration between CaribDirect Multi-Media, Fairweather Productions and the Black Cultural Archives set out to deliver a quality conference and expo on an annual basis to a Caribbean and British audience with an appreciation of Caribbean cuisine and drinks, through strategic partnerships.

In front of a small, yet very select, specially invited room of guests, David Roberts, CaribDirect CEO, said: “CFDE 2015 will be a celebration born out of the CaribDirect International Business Network (CIBN) program which focuses on providing trade and investment opportunities for SMEs within the Caribbean community.”

“CFDE 2015 is about promoting the best of Caribbean cuisine,” says Fairweather Productions founder, Tony Fairweather. “It's about being 'Food Ambassadors' and collectively promoting Caribbean food.”

The launch boasted a panel of esteemed figures, both here and in the Caribbean, including Doris Charles, Minister Councillor of SVG’s High Commission who highlighted the upward surge in direct foreign investment in the Caribbean by the world’s leading economies, Paul Reid, founder of the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton,  Dr. Paul Quantock, Director at P4ACE, Chairman at The Foundation for Entrepreneurship Participation (TFEP), Elizabeth Mullings-Smith, Managing Director, Maya Blue Limited and a government adviser working with the private sector on strategy, business and project development, stakeholder engagement and many more business-led initiatives and Grace Vanterpool, a Diabetes Specialist, a university lecturer and holder of several awards and identified as one of the top 50 most influential BME professionals in the NHS.

It is seen a`s a mirror-image of the already established Caribbean Food Festival, in Birmingham, something that co-founder, Roberts, sees as an influence on his vision for this Caribbean food and drink expo.

The Caribbean Food and Drink Conference takes place at the Kensington Forum on July 10, with the Expo, at Windrush Square, in Brixton, on July 12.