With sales growing at an average of 17.5 per cent per annum for the past eight years, Jamaican Teas Limited plans on expanding its line of Caribbean Dreams products.

It’s a move that could put the company back in line for the Jamaica Manufacturers’ and Exporters’ Association (JMEA) award of top medium manufacturing exporter for 2018, having copped the award for 2017.

Sales growth for the tea maker has been strongest in the USA, followed by Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, attributable to the introduction of a number of herbal teas to the markets. With plans underway for the expansion of the Caribbean Dreams line of products, Jamaican Teas is also eyeing new markets.

To date, the company’s largest markets for exports are the USA, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, and Barbados.

“We have always held the belief that our future as a small company operating in a small country lies in our ability to operate beyond our boundaries,” said CEO and Export Director John Mahfood on the heels of the company’s award for Top Medium Manufacturing Exporter for 2017.

The company notes that in keeping with the growing demand for herbal teas, it has an ongoing programme of exploration and scientific research of indigenous Jamaican crops. Over ten new products including herbal teas have been added to the Caribbean Dreams brand since 2016.

In 2015, Jamaican Teas earned US-approved listing status which catapulted the brand’s visibility and availability in more than 100 supermarkets across the Wal-Mart, Winn Dixie and Publix chains. Three years later, the company was awarded the HACCP Certificate under the governing body of the NSF International (Costa Rica), a global public health and safety organisation, further cementing Jamaican Teas and its Caribbean Dreams and Tetley brands as premium products in the global marketplace.

Jamaican Teas Limited was founded in Jamaica in 1967 and initially produced only black tea under the Tetley brand, in addition to providing contract manufacturing arrangements.

John Mahfood along with his late father Adeeb Mahfood acquired the company in 1996 and together they set the strategy for growth through exports as the key to the future. The Company was listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Marketon July 12, 2010, and has increased its shareholder base.

Jamaican Teas Group includes the Jamaican Teas Limited, manufacturer of the Tetley and Caribbean Dreams branded teas and grocery items; H Mahfood and Sons Limited owners of real estate properties for investment rental and for development and sale to the public; JRG Shoppers’ Delite Enterprise Limited which owns a supermarket in Kingston; and KIW International Limited, an investment company.