Yes we absolutely love shopping for souvenirs when we travel around the world! Enjoy our recommendations for delicious souvenirs to buy from the beautiful East Caribbean island of Grenada, a wonderful destination for food and drink lovers.
The Best Souvenirs to Buy in Grenada
Chocolate | Chocolate Liqueur | Cookery Book of Grenadian Recipes | Gin | Nutmeg Products | Rum | Spices
Chocolate
Grenada has been growing cocoa since French colonists introduced the crop in the early 1700s, and its cocoa has long been recognised for it’s exceptional quality. For most of that time, the harvested beans were sold for export to chocolate producers around the world.
In 1999, Mott Green, founder of the Grenada Chocolate Company began a revolution that’s changed the face of cocoa in Grenada. Instead of selling the cocoa, he launched a tree to bar company that not only grew, harvested and processed the cocoa beans, but also made these beans into fine quality chocolate.
His focus on fair trade and increased profit for the farmers, sustainability across the process, and high quality chocolate, has been echoed by those who followed in his footsteps, including Belmont Estate Chocolate, Crayfish Bay Organic Estate, Jouvay Chocolate and Tri Island Chocolate.
All five companies produce truly excellent chocolate from cocoa grown on the island, and their chocolate is surely one of the best souvenirs to bring back from a visit.
By Kavita Favelle, author of Kavey Eats. Find me on Instagram.
Chocolate Liqueur (Amaz-in)
Since the birth of a thriving bean to bar chocolate industry on the island, the quality of Grenada chocolate is putting Grenada on the world chocolate lovers’ map. If you are looking for a grown-up chocolatey souvenir with a difference, you need look no further than Amaz-in chocolate creme liqueur.
Local resident Margaret Bernard produced this luscious combination of fine Grenada chocolate, cream and Grenada rum at her home for many years until 2017 when Grenada Distillers Limited bought the rights to manufacture and distribute Amaz-in.
The reason it’s called Amaz-in is because that’s the first word most people say after tasting it – and I can vouch for that! The high percentage of chocolate makes it almost thick enough to eat with a spoon, and the kick of the rum means it is never too sweet – a perfect dessert poured over ice-cream.
The best place to buy it on the island is the House of Chocolate in St George’s where a small 150ml bottle (perfect for packing) will set you back 16 East Caribbean Dollars (about £4.50). Full size 750ml bottles are available for about £30.
You can also find it in at least one of the shops in the Maurice Bishop International Airport departure lounge.
By Jeanne Horak, author of Cooksister. Find her on Instagram.
Cookery Book of Grenadian Recipes
Having visited Grenada for the Grenada Chocolate Festival in 2018, I returned to the island for a three-week holiday a year later.
Being a big food lover, I always travel with food in mind and one of my favourite pastimes while visiting any new destination involves working my way around the local restaurants, sampling authentic dishes that the locals love to eat and daydreaming about how I’m going to recreate them myself when I get home.
When I stumbled across this classic ‘Great Grenada Recipes’ cookbook (compiled and edited by Wendy Hartland) while browsing the duty-free shops at the airport before flying back to the UK, I just knew I had to buy it.
Packed with classic Grenadian dishes, including appetisers, main courses, side dishes and desserts, it’s enabled me to recreate some of my fondest Grenadian meals from the comfort of my own kitchen. Of course, it’s never as good as the real thing, but it’s lovely to be able to enjoy a taste of Grenada even when I’m over 4,300 miles away from the Spice Island!”
By Kacie Morgan, author of The Rare Welsh Bit. Find her on Instagram.
Gin
Whilst rum has been produced on Grenada for hundreds of years, gin is a relatively new spirit. The recently launched Blue Light Distillery makes gin using what they describe as local ‘tropical botanicals’, keeping the juniper flavour quite subtle in what is a clean, light and smooth gin.
Visitors can purchase directly from the distillery shop, and can also take a tour of the distillery, if it’s not too busy. A 125ml bottle costs $20 East Caribbean dollars, and the 50cl bottles are EC$50.
By Kavita Favelle, author of Kavey Eats.
Nutmeg Products
Grenada, often referred to as The Spice Island, is known for its spices, especially nutmeg and cinnamon. I bring home a large amount of nutmegs still in their shells to keep them fresh for longer. Nutmeg grows inside a hard dark brown shell and is covered by the bright red, lacy seed covering, which is sold as Mace. Mace tastes like a subtle version of nutmeg and is often used in the United States in pumpkin spices, sweet potato recipes and autumnal drinks and bakes.
During hurricane Ivan in 1974 most of the nutmeg trees were destroyed leaving the island without a very valuable commodity, fortunately the trees have re-grown and the island is once again covered in this wonderful spice.
However the real star is the fruit of the nutmeg plant. Nutmeg grows in abundance in and around the banana trees and cocoa trees all over Grenada. As you drive around the island you see plenty of nutmeg trees heavily laden with the yellow plum-like orbs. When the fruit is ripe it splits in two down the middle exposing the mace-covered nutmeg which subsequently drops to the ground.
Not wanting to waste anything the locals collect the empty halves of the nutmeg fruit and make a whole host of products. As it is a fruit one of the main products is nutmeg jam or jelly. The fruit is boiled, sugar added and when the setting point is reached it is ready to be bottled and left to cool. The resulting jam is absolutely delicious, sweet and subtly nutmeg flavoured. Of course you can spread it on your toast but it is wonderful added to a stew, used as a marinade for pork or chicken or in a sweet and sticky BBQ sauce. The jam also makes a great glaze for tarts and fruit pies.
Another by-product of the nutmeg and also made from the soft fruit is pure nutmeg syrup, which has a lovely soft nutmeg flavour. The syrup is perfect poured over your pancakes (especially if they have cinnamon and nutmeg in them), or with French toast or ice cream.
By Heidi Roberts, author of Kitchen Talk & Travels. Find her on Instagram.
Rum
Like many other Caribbean islands, Grenada has a long history of producing rum, and there are several distilleries on the island, making rum from locally grown sugar cane and molasses.
The largest player is Grenada Distillers Limited, also known as Clarke’s Court Rum, and is located not far from St George’s. Built on the site of a long-closed sugar factory, the current distillery was built in the 1970s. They make a range of rums including light, dark, flavoured and aged varieties. Visitors can take a tour of the distillery and taste before they buy.
Another option is to head for River Antoine, a small producer in the north east of Grenada, established in 1785. Visitors can see how sugar cane is processed, by use of an old-fashioned water wheel, before being fermented and distilled in a pot still that’s heated by wood fire. The finished rum is bottled by hand. Guided visits are available, and the distillery has an on-site restaurant.
Westerhall, a popular brand, no longer produce their rum on Grenada, though they do age and bottle it Their rums are considered some of the best on the island.
You will find local rums readily available in stores across the island, as well as available to buy and drink in bars and restaurants.
By Kavita Favelle, author of Kavey Eats.
Spices
Considered the ‘Spice Isle of the Caribbean’, it’s only natural that Grenada’s spices make the perfect souvenir for yourself or for friends and family to commemorate your visit to the beautiful island.
As one of the world’s top exporters of spices; you’ll find spices such as cinnamon, cloves, allspice, bay leaf, nutmeg, and mace for sale just about everywhere on the island of Grenada including on the streets, in the shops, and even on the beach!
When I’m in Grenada, I like to stock up my on spices for my kitchen. I bring them out whenever I’m craving a little West Indian oxtail with rice and peas.
If you are shopping for yourself, look for pre-packaged spices in simple individual ziplock bags or sold by weight in bulk. When shopping for others, look for assorted spices packaged for gift-giving in decorative straw baskets of all sorts of shapes and sizes.
If you cringe at the challenge of haggling for prices, visit St. George’s Spice Market where prices are fixed. But no matter where you buy, be warned of anyone selling packages of yellow powder labelled as saffron which in reality is turmeric. Also, local vanilla though lovely is often made from tonka bean extract.
My favourite souvenirs from Grenada are spice necklaces because they are perfect for the cook or non-cook on your gift list. Spice necklaces look pretty hanging in the kitchen but, you can hang them in any room for a bit of exotic style. I keep my spice necklaces in a decorative bowl on my coffee table and I love how the warm scent of the Spice Island envelops my living room.
By Mary Chong, author of Calculated Traveller. Find her on Instagram.
Find out why Grenada is an ideal destination for food lovers.
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Read more posts on the best souvenirs to buy around the world.
Images contributed by authors of each souvenir, or used with attribution.
Please check the customs restrictions of your home country before your trip, so that you know which food and drink souvenirs you are permitted to import.
Please leave a comment - I love hearing from you!26 Comments to "The Best Souvenirs to Buy in Grenada"
What a lovely post. This is taking me back to my time on the Island of Spice and making me want to book my third trip there. I am hoping to return yet again this year!
So lovely to have a place that calls you back again and again!
I havent been to Grenada yet but it has always been a Caribbean island I always want to check out (as I have school friends from there). Not sure if I am keen on the idea of the liquerur but the chocolate, yes please. I Got such a sweet teeth and as I am from the country with bad teeth (the UK), bringing chocolate home is the best ideal present.
If you have school friends and are still in touch it would be wonderful to visit and have some local friends taking you to the best places!
Grenada is one island that I haven’t been to yet. I will have to do some research on it. I’m not a lover of chocolate, but the liquer sure sounds good, as does the rum!
It’s a beautiful island, and very much less big-resorty than many of the better known holiday destination islands.
We don’t often buy souvenirs. But we always search out and buy chocolate when we travel. It is particularly good to do this in a country like Grenada where it is produced. Love that you can get chocolate liqueur too. Hubby is a rum drinker so he often checks out rum in countries where they produce from sugar cane and not molasses. Always great to find souvenirs we can consume! And that bring back good memories.
Sounds like you’d love Grenada, and it’s very much a less spoilt island than some of those that are nothing but big splashy resorts everywhere!
I like lists of souvenir suggestions; they helpful in travel. From your Grenada list, I would buy chocolate liqueur and chocolate, like a fan of sweet alcohol and chocolate. I would also like to try nutmeg products because I love spices from around the world and I always bring them from holidays. I haven’t tried Grenada rum yet. I would like to make a drink based on this rum.
The nutmeg is great quality and the spice necklaces are super cool!
I was nearly in Grenada on a Cruise trip. But as our route was changed so we missed the place. Our family likes the NutMeg products for the breakfast. As a cooker of the family I would buy some spice products as well. By all means, these are the organic products which are valuable.
Sorry you missed out, definitely well worth a visit!
You had me at chocolate! OMG, chocolate bars and chocolate liqueur I must book a trip to Grenada!That’s a a great price for that liqueur, I’ll have to bring an extra suitcase. The gin is a bit pricey but I’ll pass on that.
Compared to London prices the gin is not too bad, but the chocolate is my personal best buy!
I don’t understand why it took so long to produce their own chocolate, but the chocolate bar and especially that chocolate liqueur look so good! And I never heard about nutmeg jam or jelly before, but now I want to try it. Sounds tasty for my toasts.
There was no tradition of chocolate making in nearly ALL of the cocoa producing countries, the norm was to grow, harvest and process the beans and sell those to chocolate manufacturers as sacks of beans. This is still very common. Most of the big name chocolate confectioners you know either buy beans from cocoa producing countries and make their own chocolate, or they buy from an intermediary that makes the chocolate to sell on, such as valrhona.
I’d be all over that chocolate! And I never knew that syrup could be made from nutmeg – that is super interesting. I’ve only ever had nutmeg in a powdered form as a spice. It’s also interesting about the saffron/turmeric exchange – definitely something to watch out for!
No, this is the first place I ever came across nutmeg syrup!
My trips are never complete without shopping for souvenirs. This is my takeaway from the article as I didnt know that Grenada is ‘Spice Isle of the Caribbean’. Chocolates are always a favorite, cookery book and spices for my Mom would be first choices.
I do love shopping for unusual souvenirs when I travel – and this post is a treasure trove! I wish I’d brought back more if that Amaz-in liqueur… 😍
I love buying souvenirs that are products tyically exported by the country, instead of the usual keyrings etc. so this is a great list! Chocolate and rum are always great ideas, but for some reason I never knew they were made in Granada!
Most of us would always take home souvenirs from different places that we go to… This blog got me interested because of interesting souvenir items. They sell interesting stuff and not a typical souvenir item that we can buy in other places. Thanks for sharing this anyway, this encourages me to go visit Grenada and buy those stuff especially the Amaz-in chocolate creme liqueur.
These are all such great ideas. I would love to try some of that chocolate and chocolate liquor!!
I love your “best souvenirs to buy in ____” series! I thought you had my attention at chocolate. But then you had my attention at chocolate liqueur (hello!). And then you had my attention with the local rum. And now I just need to go to Grenada!
I’d love to go to Grenada someday. These souvenirs are great. The nutmeg products are truly unique ones! I’d love to bring those back for my family and friends should I get the chance to go someday
Thanks a lot for being so generous. even though I was bit nervous but I really enjoyed the experience. Definitely, a must do.