Grace Foster-Reid, the woman behind the product in her own words… MIT-trained civil and environmental engineer-turned- beekeeper. I am not a foodie but I have a good understanding of the chemistry of food. I am a social entrepreneur with a strong drive to solve problems (that’s the engineer in me) and to help others.

The story behind EcoFarms Jamaica…

The closure of two bauxite plants in my town left more than 1,000 Jamaicans (myself included) jobless. From this crisis arose an opportunity for a social entrepreneur like myself. Imagine if five per cent of our population created five jobs each! We would eradicate unemployment and the associated social issues that are destroying the country.

To seize the opportunity presented by this crisis, I established EcoFarms with the mandate to utilise strong engineering and management skills to develop, produce and export innovative honey products while creating employment.

We plan to grow our business to become…

The Caribbean’s leading honey company by innovating and launching new products biannually. As such we have rolled out our Buzz Honey Wine, flavoured honey and HoneyStix.

My first breakthrough came when…

I was one of five Caribbean women chosen by Vital Voices to represent the region in their inaugural vvGROW programme in Nicaragua. From there it has been no looking back (I am not saying it has been smooth sailing, because it has not been. However, we go from mountaintop to mountaintop by climbing in and out of deep valleys). We were selected as one of National Bakery’s Bold Ones in Manufacturing, then we went to Mexico for Vital Voices Global Ambassadors Programme. We were also in the NCB Nation Builder Start-up Category. The last breakthrough came last month when I was able to travel to the Napa Valley to fine-tune my winemaking skills and launch a to-die-for world-class mead.

Jamaicans should support our products because…

We have a vision that has been expressly stated from day one — we want to create jobs for 100 Jamaicans.

We also use 95% Jamaican raw material. The only imported inputs are the glass bottles.

Also, we are great brand ambassadors — we take exceptional care in our packaging and presentation. We can represent Jamaica here and abroad.

Oh, I almost forgot — our products taste great!

Ours is a successful product because…

We combine innovation, careful attention to details and have a sharp ear for the demands of our customers.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have…

Not borrowed one cent from the bank.

Lend your support to Eco Farms by picking up the product at any of the following locations:

MegaMart

Loshusan

Shoppers Fair

Monarch Pharmacy

Fontana Pharmacy

Discount Pharmacy

Villa Pharmacy

Carby’s

Craft Cottage

Brooklyn Supermarkets

Half Moon, A Rock Resort

Iberostar

Couples Hotels

JBDC/Things Jamaica

Total and Texaco Service Stations

York Pharmacy

Pegasus Gift Shop

Both airports (Reggae Shops, Port of Call)