By: Emily Rumball

In the heart of Long Island, just a few blocks from the rhythmic hum of West Hempstead, Sam’s Caribbean Marketplace has become more than a grocery store. It’s a lifeline to the islands.

For more than 30 years, this family-owned business has connected Caribbean-Americans and curious food lovers alike with the spices, sauces, and soul of island cooking. But recently, Sam’s has leaned into something new: not just jerk seasoning and plantains, but technology.

And not just tech for tech’s sake.

“For us, technology isn’t about replacing culture; it’s about preserving it,” says Andrew Morris, founder of Sam’s Caribbean Marketplace. “If I can use a tool to help someone taste home again, even from thousands of miles away, then that’s worth it.”

A Taste of Culture, Now Powered by Code

There’s something deeply personal about food shopping culture. It’s not just about groceries; it’s about memory, migration, and identity in every bite. That’s why the online grocery revolution hasn’t always worked for diaspora communities. Major platforms might stock thousands of items, but not the ones your grandmother used to make her Sunday stew.

That’s where Sam’s Caribbean Marketplace is rewriting the story, using technology not to water down tradition, but to deliver it.

Their reimagined website, sams24-7.com, is more than a digital storefront. It’s a curated cultural experience where hand-picked Caribbean staples meet mobile-first convenience.

“For a lot of our customers, this isn’t just shopping,” says Morris. “It’s reconnecting with who they are. Some come in for oxtail or bun and cheese, and they leave with a smile that says, ‘I’m home again.’ Our website just extends that feeling to anyone, anywhere.”

Smart Shopping, Caribbean Style

A significant transformation in ethnic grocery retail is personalization, a strategy Sam’s has embraced long before algorithms came along. With decades of customer insight, they know exactly what shoppers crave and when they crave it: bun and cheese before Easter, sorrel before Christmas, and patties for every Friday.

Now, Sam’s has combined that cultural knowledge with digital innovation. Their new Predictive AI Delivery (PAID) system allows customers within a 100-mile radius to receive groceries or hot meals the same day, complete with real-time tracking and text updates.

“We launched it because some people were afraid to leave their homes…bad weather, health issues, etc.,” says Morris. “We realized we could bring comfort food to their door instead of them coming to us. That’s technology with heart.”

Customers can also pre-order online for in-store pickup, skipping the lines while still getting that personal Sam’s touch. “It’s not about making things impersonal,” Morris adds. “It’s about meeting people where they are, in life, not just online.”

Cultural Foods, Complex Logistics

Behind every spicy-sweet bottle of Matouk’s sauce or tin of ackee lies a maze of sourcing and shipping challenges. Caribbean grocers have long struggled with unpredictable supply chains and specialty imports. But Sam’s has found balance through data-driven forecasting and long-standing relationships with regional suppliers.

From Long Island to Linstead, their systems ensure that the right products are available when they’re needed most. “You can’t have a Caribbean store without Scotch bonnet or pimento,” says Morris with a laugh. “Those aren’t just ingredients, they’re identity.”

And that identity now crosses borders. Sam’s has even partnered with delivery teams in Jamaica to ensure groceries and essential supplies reach families in need, a service that’s taken on new urgency in recent months.

When Tech Meets Tradition, and Humanity

When Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica, Morris and his team didn’t hesitate. “We couldn’t just sit here and watch what was happening back home,” he says. “We might be in New York, but our hearts are still in Jamaica.”

Through their website and social channels, Sam’s launched a digital relief drive, using their e-commerce tools to collect donations and send supplies directly to affected communities.

“People can order care packages right from our site, and we make sure they’re shipped to the right parish,” Morris explains. “That’s when I realized…This isn’t just a website. It’s a bridge. Between generations. Between countries. Between people.”

The same online platform that helps Caribbean-Americans restock their pantries now helps them rebuild their homeland, one package at a time.

Where Culture Meets Convenience

As younger generations rediscover cooking as a form of cultural expression, and as technology reshapes how we connect, Sam’s Caribbean Marketplace stands as proof that innovation and identity can coexist.

“We bend, but we don’t break,” says Morris, echoing his mantra from three decades in business. “Technology changes every day, but our mission stays the same: good food, done right, delivered with love.”

From a $200 oven that baked four patties at a time to a predictive AI system that now powers same-day delivery, Sam’s story is one of adaptation without assimilation, a business that’s modernized without losing its soul.

The tools may be new, but the purpose is timeless: to feed, to connect, and to care, for every home, from Long Island to Linstead.