GROCERIES & PROVISIONS
IN THE BVI
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Tortola. The best locale for serious provisioning centers around the Wickham's Cay II area near The Moorings in Road Town. See Provisioning for information on how to provision. See Refill water tanks for available locations to do so.

Nearby on Waterfront Drive is the main Riteway Supermarket, which closely resembles a modern American supermarket with a bright, spacious interior, strong air-conditioning, and a big parking lot in front. One difference is the large displays of canned milk and popular provisioning items.

Riteway offers fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh baked bread and other items from its in-store bakery and pastry shop, a wide selection of deli meats and cheeses (European as well as American), fresh and frozen meats, a great variety of wines and spirits as well as many specialty items for vegetarians, gourmet cooks, and health conscious customers.

Prices. Often you will hear that the best prices in the BVI are 20% above those in the U.S.

Also in the Wickham's Cay II area is Kmark's gourmet grocery (494-4649, at Port Purcell with excellent provisioning. Ms. Penguin has "heat and eat" frozen seafood and other meals.

At the entrance to Wickham's Cay II, Tico Importing Co. (494-2211) with discount retail prices and wholesale rates, imports the largest variety of fine wines and spirits in the BVI. Discounts include case prices, specials and promotions, a 10% discount on any 5 bottles of wine or spirits purchased at the regular price, and wholesale prices to the crewed yacht trade.

Wickham's Cay I. Located at the intown round-a-about, Bobby's Market Place (email) is a supermarket  and the favorite provisioner of many with a huge selection of fresh produce, meats, baked goods, wines and liquors, decent prices and free delivery (photo: BareboatsBVI).

With a store at the Inner Harbour Marina, The Ample Hamper has food and drink items like wines and cheese from the United Kingdom and U.S. as well as general provisions for chartering.

Riteway Markets has another smaller "full service" store near Wickham's Cay I off Main Street on Flemming Street near the "round-a-bout" and also a small convenience outlet at Ft. Burt Marina. Although these locations do not compare with its main store described above, the Riteway Markets are both popular and affordable.

Soper's Hole on the West End. The Ample Hamper has a beautiful new store at The Wharf. Nearby Kelly's Superette and Walker's Superette also have groceries.

Fat Hog's Bay. The BVI's leading seafood distributor, Sailor's Ketch seafood market, is located here at Penn's Landing and offers free delivery to all charter bases. Also here is a small Riteway market, the Rightbreeze.

Trellis Bay. The Trellis Bay Market is a small convenience store with some wines that greets the North Sound Express.

Cane Garden Bay. Cline's Bakery and Netty's Diner have fresh bread and baked goods. Bobby's Market Place has groceries and Columbus Sunset Store & Bar has a variety of items including a few groceries. Cane Garden Bay Seafood Superette has fresh seafood and a few groceries along with Rhymer's Beach Hotel.

Virgin Gorda

Yacht Harbour in 'The Valley'.
Both The Commissary and Buck's Food Market have groceries at the Yacht Harbour. For serious provisioning, toward The Baths is RTW, Riteway's wholesale outlet (5-5228, fax 5-5572), strictly cash and carry selling cases and minimum quantities (usually sets of threes) for serious provisioning.

North Sound. The Bitter End Emporium has groceries, deli items off the resort's menus and its famous baked goods by Winston, the baker. Buck's Food Market has groceries at the Leverick Bay Resort.  The North Sound Superette has groceries a hike up Gun Creek.

Jost Van Dyke

Great Harbour. While the people on Jost Van Dyke take the ferry to do serious shopping in Road Town, basic groceries are available at Rudy's Superette, fresh baked goods at Christine's Bakery, ice at The Icehouse, and fresh fruits and vegetables at Nature's Basket.

Anegada

Anegada's "Harbour." In the anchorage, Pam of Pam's Kitchen comes around in a dinghy about 5:30 pm every day offering baked goods and preserves. In The Settlement, Faulkner's Country Store has groceries.

Private Chefs for Hire. See Chefs in the B-V-I Directory. Also, charter companies routinely supply chefs as well as captains.

Roadtown Wholesale History. Beginning in 1960 when there were few cars and no charter boats or ferries, Peter and Penny Haycraft started Road Town Wholesale. Mostly canned goods were sold, including milk of course: "Every baby in the BVI was given Pet Milk! . . . That first shipment, 25 cases of Pet Milk did not reach the store. The milk was sold off the dock . . ." See Island Sun Roadtown Wholesale - In the Beginning and RTW 40th Anniversary (1st cargo vessel crosses ocean).