Having won Best New Product at The Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards in 2017, Turner’s Choice now has seven products under its belt with the Candied Sorrel being its best seller. As with high-demand products, size and practicality must be taken into consideration. Chief Executive Officer Allison Turner said, “We now have a 4-ounce package… providing more for our customers.” She is hopeful that other products like the Champagne Sorrel will gain traction as the company continues to be innovative and appeal to an otherwise untouched market. “We cultivate the only hybrid sorrel ‘bashment’ which we can cultivate all year round,” Turner also noted.

Turner’s Choice developed 100% Jamaican White Sorrel Champagne Dried Sorrel and Champagne Candied Sorrel because… we consider ourselves the leaders and innovators of the sorrel industry providing a complete value chain from planting the seed in the ground to the final products on the shelf. White Sorrel is the crème de la crème of sorrel, so we saw it fitting to create an easy go-to product for the market.

Our major challenge is… we had no idea how successful and positive the response to White Sorrel would be; now we will have to grow a lot more to fill demand.

Our products became available to the public at… Jamaica Expo 2018 as an exclusive limited offer; the plan was really to test and measure the product.

The response to the products has been… incredible! The rich smooth flavour enhanced by refined white sugar, ginger and pimento infused with the thought and vision of the white champagne colour took people to new level in taste that left lovely happy thoughts of contentment, that little extra something special.

Our core customers are… everyone who wants to experience Jamaica’s beloved traditional sorrel in a new refined style, something special and new.

Future plans include… continuing to create different kinds of sorrel products, expanding our brand into other areas and looking for partnerships for other sorrel-related product lines.

Our first breakthrough came when… we challenged ourselves to plant one acre of the white sorrel. It was a first-time effort that worked, enabling us to produce enough sorrel to make products to sell.

Jamaicans should support these products because… they are innovative, and they promote a healthier lifestyle when snacking. Currently, so much money is being spent on importing a similar product that is less nutritious and ours tastes so much nicer. More importantly, our product is 100% Jamaican, so it will help sustain employment, income for farmers and the wealth of our country.

Our products are successful because… we listen to our critics and our customers. We are always reinventing and improving on packaging and processes, we never miss an opportunity to sponsor or support, and we have a great network of Jamaican companies, including Development Bank of Jamaica, First Angels Jamaica, Action Coach Jamaica, EXIM Bank, National Bakery, Jampro, JMA, and JEA, supporting us and guiding us all the way.

If we knew them what we know now… we would have maybe planted more white sorrel, but in hindsight we wouldn’t really change a thing; this is our destiny and we are happy with our progress. Nothing will happen before its right time!

Principals: Allison Turner and Oral TurnerContact: 965-5078/354-3661Email: turnerinnovations@gmail.comWebsite: www.turninnovations.net