Cave Hill and BHL sign agreement for production of diabetes shakes
07 March 2025
Commercial Manager at The Banks Holdings (BHL) Group Khadija Marshall, and Principal of The UWI Cave Hill Campus, Prof. Clive Landis sign the MOU
Researchers at The UWI Cave Hill Campus on Thursday took one step closer to making locally manufactured diabetes shakes available to the public.
The campus signed a licensing and distribution agreement with Barbados Dairy Industries Limited to facilitate the production of diabetes shakes, using indigenous Caribbean flavours.
The shakes were conceptualised by senior lecturer in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Dr Kim Quimby, and Public Health Doctoral candidate Eden Augustus, who noted that the prevalence of diabetes has doubled in Barbados between 2001 and 2021.
“The two main goals of the shakes were to be comparable to the competitor which is Glucerna ... (and) we wanted to make sure that the shakes were tasty and had a very good appearance,” Augustus said.
“Our level of sugar is consistently lower. In fact, our additional sugar to the product is zero because the sweetness of the shakes comes from the natural fruit.”
Campus principal Professor Clive Landis pointed to the significance of this project in addressing a major health concern, saying the signing of the agreement was the culmination of a long journey.
“It is the first true manifestation of the tripartite relationship between the university, industry and the government. The government played key roles (through) Export Barbados and Invest Barbados in getting us through that long validation phase. And that is how you get from the germ of an idea to a product that will now be manufactured.
“It really is wonderful for an academic to be able to see this process from knowledge creation all the way to practical application and commercialisation of a product that will hopefully address a major need in society.”
Commercial Manager at The Banks Holdings Limited (BHL) Group, Khadija Marshall, highlighted the potential for the future of innovation and research, as well as the development of the local manufacturing industry.
“The new brand will focus on tapping into emerging health-conscious trends while catering to societal needs by using functional and regional ingredients.
“The UWI’s world class research capabilities, combined with our experience in bringing products to market will result in a new beverage that surpasses the expectations of today’s consumers. This partnership allows us to stay at the forefront of the industry by developing products that align with the future of beverage consumption.” Marshall said.
The agreement was signed on the heels of the launch of the campus’s research website and research discussion forum, which were held at the Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management.
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