The Flavour of Legacy

Every flavour Juan Wilson presented at NIFCA 2025 carried a piece of her past. Through Harold & Holman, she turned her family’s traditions into award-winning creations. Operating under her business umbrella, Uniquely Crafted, Juan’s work is grounded in the legacies of her father and grandfather. This year, that legacy translated into an impressive collection of awards: a Gold Medal for Best Bajan Cocktails & Mocktails with her Pineapple Coconut Spiced Rum Iced Tea; two Silver Medals for her Tropical Blast Spiced Rum Iced Tea and her Soursop Cheesecake; and a Bronze Medal for her Lemon Blend Spiced Rum Iced Tea. Each creation carried a distinct story, shaped by Bajan nostalgia, family traditions and the flavours of the island itself. 

Meet Juan Wilson, the Uniquely Crafted artisan behind this year’s NIFCA award-winning flavours.

For Juan, flavour isn’t just taste, it is memory, place and belonging. Her line of Spiced Rum Iced Teas grew from what she described as “Barbadian nostalgia, family traditions, and the natural flavours of our island.” The blends honour small rituals that shape everyday life, from rum shop culture to refreshing homemade juices. Even in their refinement, they remain resolutely Bajan. She wanted to show that rum-based beverages can “be both refined and proudly rooted in our heritage.” 

The Soursop Cheesecake, which earned a Silver Medal, drew from a different kind of inherited knowledge. Soursop has long been valued in Caribbean households in teas, juices and traditional remedies. While those uses are rooted in cultural practice rather than medical claims, they form part of a familiar wellness landscape. Juan’s cheesecake transforms that tradition into something contemporary and elegantly presented. As she explained, “The cheesecake brings that tradition forward in a modern, creative way.” 

In preparing for NIFCA, Juan approached the judging criteria of creativity, technique and cultural relevance as interconnected pillars. Creativity involved reimagining familiar ingredients and exploring new combinations. Technique required precision, particularly when balancing rum infusions or refining the delicate texture of cheesecake. Cultural relevance felt natural to her because the ingredients themselves carried their own stories. “The balance came naturally because the culture itself guided the creativity and technique,” she said. 

Rum, for many Barbadians, is more than an ingredient. It is a symbol of identity. Incorporating it into iced teas allowed Juan to modernise rum culture while maintaining its connection to tradition. Her process required restraint to ensure the rum was enhanced rather than overwhelmed. She focused on clarity, clean flavour notes and natural sweetness, using the spiced rum as “a subtle enhancer rather than an overpowering element.” 

Among her creations, the Pineapple Coconut Spiced Rum Iced Tea, the drink that earned her Gold, best captured this fusion of innovation and identity. Juan describes its development as a journey that began with a single idea: capturing “sunshine, warmth, and natural island sweetness” in one sip. She experimented with the relationship between pineapple and coconut, refined the way each layer interacted with the rum and tested rounds of variations until the flavour felt balanced. The final presentation, clean and vibrant, expressed a sense of tropical luxury that felt undeniably Barbadian. As she put it simply, “The final creation is a drink that instantly says, ‘This is Barbados, island in the sun.’” 

Juan’s Gold Medal–winning Pineapple Coconut Spiced Rum Iced Tea, honoured as Best Bajan Cocktails & Mocktails at NIFCA 2025.

Much of Juan’s inspiration comes from family. Her father’s rum cream recipe, which she tweaked and entered in NIFICA 2023, remains foundational to her craft. she said, noting that her grandfather’s appreciation for a good drink still influences the spirit of Harold & Holman. This year’s NIFCA process was both emotional and grounding. Perfecting her entries felt like “a conversation with them,” an intimate reminder of why her brand exists. 

Presenting her iced teas and cheesecake felt like offering the judges a piece of her family and her island. The process strengthened her confidence and reaffirmed the purpose behind her work. 

Winning across several medal tiers affirmed everything Juan has been building. She sees the achievement as validation of her creativity, skill and commitment to telling Barbadian stories through flavour. It also feels like a continuation of the journey that began with that family rum cream recipe, which once placed her just a point shy of Gold. Now, Gold is firmly hers. 

Juan is already looking ahead. Plans include expanding the Harold & Holman rum cream collection, launching new Spiced Rum Iced Tea flavours, experimenting with signature desserts and developing seasonal releases. Each new creation will continue to explore what it means to bottle Bajan identity while honouring the men who inspired the journey. 

Her success at NIFCA reflects a craft shaped not only by technique but by memory and heritage. As her brand continues to grow, one thing is clear: every sip, every slice and every medal earned is rooted in home. (PR)