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“The business could not have come at a better time. We were under lockdown because of the pandemic, and essentially, the business and brand had to be built online. I set up the social media pages, and very soon after, we started receiving orders and business did quite well at this stage. This was also beneficial to me because my courses and exams were all online and I could focus on creating the best product with the recipe I had without the distraction of a commute to and from campus.” Even with this initial success, Tyrique felt there was definitely scope for improvement. For this reason, he took the opportunity to apply to the Barbados Food and Rum Festival accelerator programme, titled The Food & Beverage Accelerator , in October 2022 where he emerged as a finalist. It was while in this programme Tyrique was urged to rebrand his product to Carringtons Rum Cream . “The accelerator programme was challenging, not in the sense that it was difficult but that it pushed us to do the best that we can; and it challenged us to liberate our minds and take more risks. And that partly contributed to why I embraced my brand story and chose to rebrand so soon,” he disclosed. The now 20-year-old law student and entrepreneur shared that he decided on the name Carrington after the low-income community of Carrington Village where he grew up.
not have anything tangible to build or continue a legacy and that something tangible was important to me,” said Tyrique. A fter much contemplation, Tyrique realised his family’s drink was a viable alternative, and he immediately proposed to develop the beverage and build the brand. The cream liqueur, which was originally named Sunbury after a notable landmark in Barbados, entered the market during the latter part of 2020. For the first year and a half, the business operated solely online that, according to Tyrique, “worked out perfectly”.
“In that community, the cycle of poverty is definitely evident, and I am determined to avoid that cycle for my family and the generations to come.” Tyrique credits his family for shielding him from the effects of poverty that inflicts that neighbourhood, in particular, his father who was an officer in the then Royal Barbados Police Force. However, he noted that it is his mother from whom he likely inherited his entrepreneurial traits, as she is also an entrepreneur who has started several ventures including jewellery making. Recently, Tyrique was able to scale the business from solely online to adding a travelling kiosk with scheduled set-ups at various malls and supermarkets across the island. In spite of the growing success, he is still determined to complete his law degree. “Law remains one of my true passions, and I hope to have dual careers in both law and entrepreneurship. I can see opportunities for the two fields to interact as the business grows from sole proprietorship to incorporated when a legal education would be beneficial,” Tyrique stated. The young man asserted he does not see why persons should limit themselves to just one career path, and he encourages others to pursue their passions as far as they can, as that is what he plans to do with his legal career and entrepreneurial endeavours. In his own words, “Law is my pride and Carringtons is my joy.” l
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