Get to know the Aruba Food & Beverage Association!

The Aruba Food & Beverage Association (AF&BA) is Aruba’s only association representing over sixty of the top food and beverage establishments in Aruba, focusing on the constant and positive growth of the industry.

Who are we?

A united front for our food and beverage industry. The only association on the island representing food and beverage establishments, creating a unified industry on food safety and sanitation, marketing and sales efforts, staffing and education, and government relations.

Food Safety and Sanitation

All our members undergo yearly kitchen inspections to ensure that they are practicing the correct safety and sanitation procedures at their establishments. We want guests to see the AF&BA logo at our affiliated dining establishments and feel confident in the quality of the product and service they will receive.

Combined Marketing Efforts

Working together, we can offer a better product as a whole for Aruba’s visitors by showcasing a culinary experience through a dine-around program. Our dine-around program allows guests to pre-pay for their dinners and receive a list of our participating restaurants as a guide to a fantastic selection of food and beverage establishments to visit. Travelers love the worry-free feeling of pre-paying for dinners and receiving a list of restaurants they know to hold a high level of quality in food safety and service.

Staffing and Education

As an association, part of our goal is to ensure there is successful continuity in our industry by educating and stimulating our future generations to choose for the hospitality industry. We need chefs, servers, hosts, managers, and more! Foremost we need our youth to be excited to work in such a dynamic and exciting industry to guarantee we can continuously deliver a genuine quality of service in our food and beverage establishments.

Government Relations

A liaison between all government departments and our association is of utmost importance to make sure our businesses can operate in a healthy environment. Much dialog on matters such as staffing concerns, permits, taxes, regulations, funding of educational programs, and all areas concerning our industry.

Over two decades of
experience in bringing our restaurants together

Formerly known as AGA, Aruba Gastronomic Association, our association was representative of fine dining featuring members who cater to guests seeking an authentic culinary experience on the island of Aruba. Mostly geared towards international visitors, AGA wanted to showcase those restaurants that represent quality in service and food safety. Over the years, as the industry experienced many changes, so has the association. Our now AF&BA is a more inclusive association catered to locals and visitors alike and showcasing a complete package of food and beverage experience. Our diners no longer only seek fine dining, instead find authenticity in casual local restaurants, coffee shops, bars, known franchises, and unique culinary experiences at fine dining restaurants.

Our association is an accurate representation of the industry as the diversity of our members has increased and has become a family of restaurants seeking to promote our island as a fascinating culinary destination. The years of experience in serving both our members and our guests have been the backbone and platform, for now, exists as AF&BA . We well know that the industry, as we know, has changed and will continue to do so. It is in our members’ best interest that our association also be flexible and innovative to maintain the continuity of our industry association.

Knowledge is power: Aruba Food & Beverage Association is a member-based community where restaurants, suppliers, and key industry entities such as the Aruba Tourism Authority are represented by owners, managers, chefs, government representatives. It is the combination of knowledge of different areas of our industry that gives us the power as an association to provide the best for our members but also our customers. We come together at general assemblies to discuss challenges, share positive feedback, guest expectations, and many other interesting topics for our industry.

When we say knowledge is power, we focus mainly on the sharing of information within our association that will benefit our members, while being able to be the authentic voice of the industry towards the government and have the power of being knowledgeable. When in dialog with business partners, both public and private, we can speak in confidence and be of great assistance when brining changes that will affect the industry. Backed up by research and conducting studies, we hold valuable information meant to be shared with our members and industry partners.

Our Association’s Convention and Values

Our History

First established in 1986 as a group of restaurants focusing on combined marketing efforts, the first group of restaurants grew into the Aruba Gastronomic Association (founded in 1994). The first and only association on the island are bringing restaurateurs together to focus on combined efforts on training, food safety & sanitation, and dine around program. Now a more industry inclusive association called the Aruba Food & Beverage Association had become an authentic voice of the industry.

Our Mission

To help maintain and raise the standards in food and beverage establishment quality for Aruba’s dining & beverage market. A collective voice for the industry to represent the large community of employees and entrepreneurship in the food and beverage industry. This includes educational organizations and all those linked to our business in any shape or form. As well as a liaison between Aruba’s government and its agencies to help maintain a healthy business environment for the local food and beverage entrepreneur.

Our Vision

Our vision in AF&BA is to create one reliable voice for Aruba’s food and beverage industry, leveling the playing field and raising the standards to make a top culinary destination in the Caribbean.

Our Goals

Our primary goal as an association is to be the voice of the industry by unifying all food and beverage establishments and, consequently, be an association that not only represents the industry but also ensures that our industry is and remains sustainable throughout the years. Positive growth is desired in an increased membership count, quality of food safety and sanitation, staffing and education, and government relations. Growth in these specific areas will positively impact our industry as a whole, benefitting all our members and their employees and our guests.

Image

Jan Van Nes

Chairman

Jan Van Nes

Become a Member

The Aruba Food & Beverage Association (AF&BA) is a group of restaurants both in hotels as well as independent that have joined forces to look after mutual interests when it comes to governmental and non-governmental related topics. We strongly believe that despite our differences and competitiveness, we stand stronger together. Over the past eighteen months, our association has experienced significant growth in members as the industry has been forced to unite to stand firm in adversity.

Great things happen when we come together and the AF&BA is where all industry players come together to meet and share essential news and events. Besides being an active lobbying association, the AF&BA is moving towards stronger combined marketing efforts to bring in more business for our participating restaurants. Our successful and established Dine Around program is being completely revamped and moving digital to cater to our suppliers’ and guests’ needs. Aruba Dining is born to taper in to demand all-inclusive and pre-paid dining packages.

Be special part of our community!

How to become a member?

Are you a partner in the food and beverage industry? Maybe a restaurant, bar, supplier, and you are excited to join our association? If you answered yes to both questions, contact us to join our group of members. We are excited to have you be part of our association. Together we can achieve more than we will ever do alone.

Let's meet Patrick Kevin Atan Carolina Daniel Erwinand other members...

Patrick van den Berg

Treasurer

AF&BA is vital for restaurateurs to assist each other in improving quality throughout by sharing information, to form a strong alliance of restaurateurs to become the to-go-to organization.

Kevin Slangen

Government Relations

Kevin’s biggest drive to be on board with the Aruba Food & Beverage Association is to help to create a business environment for the Food and Beverage industry.

Atan Lee Jr

Member

AF&BA is important to me because as a young entrepreneur I learn a lot from other members and can express myself with other people that are in the same line of business

Carolina Merryweather

Marketing Board Member

I firmly believe that collectively we can achieve more for our industry. Be it as a collective marketing force or a collective voice. A community of members with common goals.

Daniel Ferrara

Marketing Board Member

It is essential for me to push our countries standards to the highest level possible. This means teaching those that do not know and always breaking the boundaries in expectations.

Erwin Husken

Member

Although I liked to serve guests, my head was in the kitchen. I worked from Bistro restaurant to restaurants with 1 and 2 Michelin stars.

Feel free to contact us directly or via social networks
We're willing to communicate
VIEW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA HUBS. CONNECT WITH US ANYTIME, AND WE WILL RESPOND SWIFTLY