The Antigua and Barbuda Seventh-day Adventist Primary School claimed top honours at the country's inaugural Agri Fest on Sunday, with its grade three students impressing judges with a homegrown kale chip product called "Ah We Chips."
The Antigua and Barbuda Agriculture Forum for Youth (ABAFY) organised the event at the PDO Building, bringing together primary school students to compete in an agro-business competition. Students were challenged to develop and present original agricultural products to a panel of judges.
The winning team described the product name as a reflection of ownership — from ground to processing — with all ingredients sourced from their school garden.
TN Kirnon Primary School placed second, presenting a herbal tea range under the brand TN Kirnon ParaHerb Naturals. The product line covered medicinal tea, caramel tea, herbal blends, and an insect repellent. Green Bay Primary School earned third place for its passion fruit jam, marketed as suitable for pancakes, yoghurt, and tropical drinks.
Other schools also made a strong showing. SR Olivia David Primary School presented a raspberry product line under the brand Garden Glory, which included raspberry pepper sauce, raspberry jam, raspberry gummies, raspberry carrot juice, raspberry beet juice, and pure raspberry juice. The team sourced their raspberries locally, with support from their school council for the research behind the range.
St Peters Primary School rounded out the field with Island Sprite, a natural dry seasoning made from sea salt, seasoned pepper, bell pepper, rosemary, and thyme through a dehydration process — containing no chemicals, MSG, or preservatives.
Winners received medals, certificates, a cash prize from the Ministry of Agriculture, agricultural equipment from the Central Marketing Corporation, and headphones. Closing remarks from the judging panel praised the quality of the students' work and encouraged them to continue pursuing agriculture and natural-product entrepreneurship.
Beyond the student competition, business owners from across the island used the AgriFest to showcase their own agricultural products and goods to the public. Seedlings were also distributed to attendees throughout the day.
