Price of Fruit

[Nicola A]

Hello to everyone on MyTobago!

I will be coming back to Tobago in June this year...its been almost 10 years since my last visit, and I really cannot wait. So many good memories; the beautiful reefs, lush rainforest, warm downpours, friendly locals, laid-back beach bars, dancing to soca, the delectable chickpea doubles in Charlotteville, puncheon rum, amazing birds, especially the hummingbirds, watching the night time fireflies, cold carib...for me it is just one of those few places where you can lay back contentedly and think "this is it".

I expect I may be posting a few times on the forum on the lead up to our holiday, but one of my first questions is related to the price of fruit. I particularly loved the pineapple out there (freshest juiciest sweetest pineapple I've ever had) and also those large bunches of teeny-tiny bananas. Coconuts too (ok not technically fruit); although the local fishermen quite often kindly cut those down for us to enjoy freely on the beach.

Anyway back to my question; I was wondering if someone could give me some guidance on the price we should be expecting to pay generally for fruit items? On my last stay I had no frame of reference, but got the feeling that we were paying well over the odds. I do not mind paying the higher end range of what can be expected, I just want to avoid being a naive tourist and paying double or triple market price.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

[Josefa Patience]

Hello Nicola,

buy your fruits and veggies in Public Demand. They have prices on the goods. So you know what is a fair price
for fruits and more. Fruits are expensive now.
You find them close to Penny Savers Canaan. Find the exact location on the map.


Josi

http://www.goatdairy-tobago.com

[Andy K]

Fruits and vegetables are expensive in Tobago, ever since.
I heard a local fella (some 15 years ago) in the Scarborough market responding to a vendor's price quote for tomato:
"Brother, i aks how yuh sellin' a pong, not a ton" ("pong" = dialect for "pound")
I guess that says everything.

You may drive up the windward road and look for some Trini-Indian vendors on the roadside about a mile north
of the Dwight Yorke stadium. They are usually there until the local fruit vendors call the police to chase them away.
If you are lucky to find them, you will buy your veg and fruits for half the price compared to Tobago shops.

Good luck !

[Nicola A]

Thanks for your replies!

Josi; that's a good idea going to a supermarket where the prices are listed for the items, that will give a good frame of reference for all fruits and groceries for the remainder of the holiday. We will be staying Castara and Charlotteville, so will try and stock up a little before we head over that way anyway. Although thereafter we will probably purchase produce from the locals in the village, as I prefer to do that.

If fruits are expensive, then perhaps last time we weren't paying over the odds at all, that may just have been the going rate! I was trying to remember how much we paid for a pineapple and 30 TT$ comes to mind...

Andy; thanks for the market place anecdote, that made me giggle!!

[Josefa Patience]

Hello Nicola,

looking for fruit prices in the supermarkets is not a good idea. They are even more expensive.
I was talking about a vegetable shop, Public Demand in Canaan for example,to get a feeling for prices.
My experience is that those little places on the side of the road have also no good prices.

Good luck

Josi
http://www.goatdairy-tobago .com

[Carol G]

Hi Nicola,
I will second Josi's thoughts on Public Demand. One question though, when do you arrive?...sorry I do not know the flight schedules from the UK. Public Demand is open every day but Sat; but the selection gets a little slim from Sunday on. The best days are Thurs evening, Friday morning or Sundays before everyone arrives from church. I have bought some carrots and a sweet red pepper at the Pennysaver in Carnbee (price was not outrageous and the carrots did not look like they had recently died). Unfortunately the Pennysaver in Canaan which would be the most convenient for you to stop at from the airport, does not have a great selection. Have not been in a long while....maybe try the Canaan Fruit Basket?? Anyone been recently? When we stayed in C'ville a long time ago, it was difficult to find fruits and veggies. Maybe Phil could offer some ideas. Have a great trip.
Cheers, Carol

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Nicola

I totally endorse Josi and Carol's comments. Public Demand is by far the first choice for fruit and vegetables, but it is vital to pick the right day. We changed from fully-catered hotel accommodation to self-catering around midday on Thursday to stock up and the shelves were bare. Second alternative is the Canaan Food Basket a little under a mile further up towards Scarborough. For directions, have a look at our satellite map (http://www.myTobago.info/maps.php). Untick all the marker sets except Supermarkets and Food Stores to make it easier to spot them. Then you can zoom in to your heart's content and determine their location in relation to the main Milford Road that runs through Bon Accord and Canaan, on its way to Scarborough, etc.

[Nicola A]

Sorry Josi - I automatically assumed Public Demand was a supermarket Thanks for clarifying!

I arrive via Virgin Airways on Thursday, so from the sounds of things, we might be best to check the place out on Friday morning, or one of the other places mentioned. Otherwise we'll take it as it comes! Thanks for your help.

[Richardus]

Our guide, a well known local stopped at a roadside vendor where he purchased us some bananas. The price was 10TT.
The guide had to lend us the money because we didnt have bills small enough and they couldn't change a 100.

We also searched far and wide for mango but it must have been out of season (1st week of June) as mangos could not be found at any vendor on the island (and we did the entire island tour twice). A semi-crazy local was pestering everyone on Turtle beach to sell a bag of various fruit he was dragging around. Whilst not impressed with his inventory, I asked him if he knew where to find mangos. He ran off and a short time later I found 3 perfect mangos on my lawn chair. I found him shortly after wandering about and paid him 10TT.
I was feeling a bit cocky as I applied some business savvy to the other "vendors" and ended up selling them a pair of sunglasses that I had found on a tour. (nobody had claimed them!)

Finally our cab driver stopped at a friend of his house where we picked about six mangos off the ground from under his friend's tree right on the front lawn. The mangos were small but perfectly ripe and no insect marks or anything. Again, we had trouble paying the tree owner 10TT for the mangos because of the small denomonations.

This year when we go I am making a point of carrying a wad of small bills to pay for fruit and small items like this.

Moral of this story is overall I cannot say the price of fruit was expensive. When I did the math, I paid less than $2 for a bunch of the best fruit I have ever tasted. Compare that to a fancy dinner at a restaurant there which can run you well over $700TT and you can see the fruit is well worthwhile to buy.