Siblings Brandon and Krystal Cargill are taking aim at the local Roll Your Own (RYO) tobacco industry through innovative packaging and a diverse line of products.

“High-Grade Jamaican Leaf only uses the finest hand-selected premium tobacco that is packaged in Jamaica. Our leaf is dark brown and produces a very intense smooth flavour, one of the only tobacco brands that has a wide range product line,” Brandon Cargill said in a press release.

“We currently do not offer any marijuana strains, just tobacco products and non-tobacco accessories,” Mr Cargill said.

The product line includes tobacco wraps, honey leaf cones, doob tubes, metal rolling trays, pocket ashtrays and the brand’s signature High-Grade Jamaican Leaf Pre-Crushed Grabba.

“Our products are amazing,” an effervescent Brandon said.

The products are distributed currently throughout the Caribbean and United States. The company currently employs 10 persons with planned expansion for 2023.

“Our intentions for the roll-your-own (RYO) market are expected to represent a US$175k capital investment and eventually bring job opportunities to the local communities over time. We currently have 10 in-house staff members with planned expansion for 2023. We employ the best personnel in the market, source fine quality tobacco, choose reputable business partners and serve the best customers out there,” Mr Cargill said.

Jobs in the expansion operation will range from entry-level positions in production, sales, and distribution to upper-level management positions in processing, manufacturing, and supply channel logistics.

“We actively work to enrich local Jamaican communities by providing good services, jobs, and foreign exchange through the roll-your-own (RYO) market,” Mr Cargill said.

Meanwhile, Krystal Cargill said High-Grade Jamaican Leaf shared some of the company’s short and medium term objectives.

“Our market-share aim for the next 2 years is three per cent and continuing to scale up operations to increase opportunities for greater profitability and expand our footprint in the roll-your-own (RYO) market by continuous improvement for product innovation, building and solidifying customer loyalty, deploying effective advertising, and pricing products efficiently for customers. We could not be more passionate about this company and are dedicated to doing everything the right way,” stated Krystal Cargill.

“It is extremely important to us to treat cannabis with the reverence it deserves.”

Krystal believes that ‘brand awareness’ is the biggest challenge facing High-Grade Jamaican Leaf and, to this end, the company is currently working with local talent in Jamaica to build brand recognition in the marketplace.

“We are trying to be market leaders in everything we do from our packaging to our marketing strategies. I believe the industry needs to move beyond simplistic branding strategies like the leaf and that companies should see themselves as lifestyle brands and not simply tobacco products, and that’s what we are at High-Grade Jamaican Leaf, a lifestyle brand,” Ms Cargill said.

Mr Cargill’s personal experiences informed his decision to get involved in the industry.

“High-Grade Jamaican Leaf was born from my earlier experience with smoking cigars and strong interest with the rich history behind tobacco rooted in Jamaican culture. I quickly took a liking to cigars but noticed there was a lack of quality when it came to Roll Your Own tobacco and tobacco paired with cannabis,” he said.

He observed that most RYO tobacco companies used a low-quality leaf that offered a less-than-stellar experience. He moved quickly to remedy this problem.

“High-Grade Jamaican Leaf was created to consistently provide premium tobacco and tobacco products by using hand-selected high quality dark tobacco for a noticeable, different premium user experience,” he concluded.