Tingz Local: Capturing the Essence of Grenada

By Klysha Best

If you could bottle the taste of a country, Grenada’s would be in a bottle of Rum Jamboree or a sip of Jab Juice and D’Nogg, all Grenadian inspired and made by Tingz Local Grenada.

Petra Charles-Joseph and her husband Chris Joseph are the husband-and-wife team behind Tingz Local Grenada, a brand that started with patriotic t-shirts and has since fermented into a line of seven distinct, locally crafted drinks. But for Charles-Joseph, who hails from Grenville, St. Andrew, the journey has been about more than just business, it’s about capturing the essence of home.

“We do T-shirts that have different aspects of Grenada in abstract,” she explains. “It references and you can identify it has to do with Grenada, be it the flag, be it the colours, be it the nutmeg, be it the breadfruit.”

Tingz Local began quietly around 2016. But it was during the COVID-19 pandemic that the brand truly found its flavour.

“Our parents made the eggnogs and the rum punches around Christmas time,” Charles-Joseph says. “And then we just said, hey, let’s go to the Square and see what will happen out there. If people will love it, what feedback we’ll get.”

The feedback was overwhelming. Today, Tingz Local has grown from a few bottles to a full line of seven flavours. And while the business remains a “side event” to their day jobs, it has become a passion project with a growing following.

The brand’s popularity has surged with flavours that speak directly to Grenadian culture. The runaway bestseller? “Jab Juice,” a nod to the island’s vibrant jab-jab carnival tradition.

Another newcomer, “Bois Bande,” is gaining ground and then there’s the classic rum punch that started it all, now sold under the name Rum Jamboree.

“We didn’t want to call it just Rum Punch or Rum whatsoever,” she explains. “We show up at festivals and all things. And that’s how we came up with the Rum Jamboree.”

For Charles-Joseph, who we met at the Grenada Diaspora Homecoming Forum and Marketplace, the event was a pivotal moment. It gave her the opportunity to showcase Tingz Local to returning nationals who had no idea such products existed.

“Because hearing about it and seeing it is something different,” she says. “They express, ‘Oh, I didn’t know you all were at that level.’ And ‘I didn’t know the products were at that level.'”

The event, she says, has opened doors and conversations about export.

“I think the next step that should come out of this event is how do we get it out there to them?”

Petra’s ambition for Tingz Local reaches beyond Grenada’s shores. She is part of a growing network of local entrepreneurs working to expand their brands regionally and internationally.

“We are all working towards getting our products out there,” she says. “That’s one of the main things, working on the development of our labels, making sure we are properly registered. So that they can be exposed.”

She acknowledges it will take time and effort, but the dream is clear.

“That’s the dream,” she says. “But I know it will take some time. So, we make it one step at a time.”

For visitors and returning nationals alike, Tingz Local offers more than a drink. It offers a taste of Grenadian pride, a reminder that the island’s spirit can be bottled, shared, and celebrated wherever Grenadians find themselves.

To discover where you can find their products, follow Tingz Local Grenada on Facebook: Tingz Local Grenada; Instagram and Twitter: @tingzlocal473.