You should always aim to choose local, organic produce over imported foods. Organic foods have greater nutritional benefit, such as antioxidants and vitamins, whereas produce reared in artificial environments often contain pesticides.
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Choose Local
While it is unlikely that Cayman will ever stop relying on imported food, the local agribusiness is flourishing. You can purchase an abundance of fresh, homegrown (and mostly organic) produce from the Island’s local farmers’ markets. Remember to bring your own bags as you don't want to leave with more plastic!
Camana Bay Farmers' Market & Monthly Artisans' Market
Discover all things grown in Cayman at the weekly Camana Bay Local Harvest Market on Wednesdays from 10am-4pm. Local farmers from around the Island gather to offer fresh produce and locally-farmed goods in stalls under the solar array opposite Jessie’s Juice Bar. During high season, you will find a combined Farmers' and Artisans' Market lining the Paseo, providing hand-crafted speciality goods, gifts and produce, with adjusted hours. For up-to-date information, visit the Camana Bay website.
Cayman Farm & Garden
Patrick Panton sells a variety of fresh fruit, leafy greens, vegetables, fresh chicken, eggs and seafood from his farm in Bodden Town. He is at the Market at the Cricket Grounds on Saturdays and the Camana Bay Farmers Market on Wednesdays (both seasonal). He also has a thriving business doing home deliveries. Email: patrick.caymanfarmandgarden@gmail.com and ask to be put on his mailing list. Then, when you are ready to order, you can email him at orders.caymanfarmandgarden@gmail.com. You can call him on (345) 526 4231 for more information. Or, you can arrange a farm pickup out in the Bodden Town countryside.
Hamlin Stephenson Market at The Cricket Grounds
This vibrant and lively market is open Monday to Friday from 7am-6.30pm and Saturday from 6am-7.30pm. Located on Huldah Avenue, next to the cricket pitch in George Town, you can buy fresh local produce, fresh-caught fish, meats, including goat meat, and eggs, as well as sample traditional Caymanian cuisine. Purchase unique souvenirs and gifts, handmade crafts and artwork, traditional straw work, preserves, sauces, seasonings, natural beauty products and jewellery made with shells or the precious Caymanite stone.
Bluff Farms in Cayman Brac provides the finest pedigree goat breeds that are raised outdoors in the ideal environment on the Bluff. Their lean and fresh meat is readily available to purchase at an affordable price at the farm in Cayman Brac and in Grand Cayman (for delivery/in-store pick up) at 209 Cannon Place, George Town. Email: sales@blufffarms.com or call 1 (345) 926 3665.
Find out about more locally-produced products from the Cayman Islands.
Grow Your Own Produce
You can grow a whole range of fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, leafy greens, herbs, eggplants, melons, bananas, mangoes and many more. The ideal growing season is November–April, when it’s cooler and drier; however, you will need to water the plants regularly and look out for pests. It is worth investing in sustainable agriculture equipment, employing vertical farming or aquaponic farming techniques. These relatively easy make-it-yourself structures provide both optimised plant growth and minimised water waste and land usage. You can pick up seeds or baby plants from any of the local nurseries, plus soil, organic pesticides and gardening tools.
Find your local garden centre!
Shopping Green
The Cayman Islands Government moved towards a plastic-free future in June 2024 by announcing the preparation of new legislation to ban the importation of certain single-use plastics, including small grocery bags, straws, stir sticks, chopsticks, sky lanterns, polystyrene cups and clamshell containers. Plastic helium-filled balloons and their sticks were initially included in the planned restrictions but were removed because there are currently no sustainable alternatives available for these items. Government has indicated that they will be giving businesses a 12-month period of adjustment and the public are asked to prepare as well.
Unfortunately, plastic cutlery will not be covered by the ban, despite non-biodegradable knives and forks being one of the most commonly discarded items by litterbugs.
To address this, Eco Eats offers edible alternatives to single-use plastic utensils and bowls. Their cutlery is vegan, non-GMO and made from ingredients like flour, sugar, maltodextrin, sorbitol, guar gum and ethyl vanillin. Similarly, the bowls are made from wheat flour, digestive bran, salt and rooibos. Their extensive range of edible cutlery and straws can be found at Foster's in Camana Bay and can also be found at Jessie's Juice Bar, Peachwave and Scoops.
On the drink front, single-use plastic water bottles are still a problem. Companies such as Flowers Bottled Water produce filtered, chlorine-free water that they sell in large five-gallon bottles, which you can buy in most petrol stations or convenience stores or have delivered directly to your home or office. You can further reduce your plastic pollution by installing a Koola bottle-less water cooler. This acts like a mini water purification plant, connecting to your building’s water supply and filtering out chlorine, lead, phosphates, and bacteria.
For those who like to drink beer, White Tip Lager is a joint venture between Caybrew and the Department of Environment and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, with a portion of the profits being donated to shark conservation work in Cayman’s waters. Another local brewery, 19-81 Brewing Co., produces three quality craft beers, as well as other limited-edition beers in collaboration with local farmers. For more information on the Local and Speciality Beer.
