Lascelles Ellis and his wife Latoya used their free time during the COVID-19 pandemic to start a backyard garden. Today, that hobby has blossomed into a profitable business venture, so much so that the Ellises are looking to expand and diversify their business.

“We were at home not doing much so we started planting a few crops that we would share with our family and neighbours. We saw how well that was going and so we decided to try commercial farming,” Lascelles told the Jamaica Observer.

The couple then set about registering their business under the name LAE Farms Limited, a name created based on their shared initials.

LAE Farms started with a one-acre leased property based in Amity Hall, St Catherine, but has since expanded to cover eight acres of land across the parishes of St Catherine and Clarendon. Fast forward four years later, the farm produces sweet corn, carrot, white and negro yams, Scotch bonnet pepper, onion, sweet peppers, and cucumber.

“The bulk of what we reap is sold to vendors at the Coronation Market, but there are occasions when we sell to the supermarket as well. The supermarket sometimes takes the sweet corns,” the business owner said.

Lascelles was unable to quantify the company’s annual yields but said production volumes continue to grow. In fact, so successful is the venture that the couple will use monies it has accumulated over the past four years to put towards the acquisition of a five-acre agricultural property in St Catherine.

The deal is expected to close by year-end and will drive down monthly overhead expenses for the couple.

“At the moment we live in Kingston, but with the acquisition of this property we will be able to relocate to St Catherine and that will put us closer to our farms. The plan is not to end the current lease arrangements we have. We will continue working those properties in addition to farming this new property, and so that will take us to 12 acres under production,” he said.

An acre of the property now under acquisition will be used as the couple’s home.

“The previous owner of the property built a house on one acre, so we really don’t need that much land but there are quite a bit of fruit trees on the property and so we will sell those fruits to offset some of the costs,” Lascelles said.

Initially, the couple will start with crops it now produces, but over time Lascelles wants to diversify LAE Farms business model to include animal rearing. The part-time entrepreneur has pigs, cows and goats at the forefront of his mind, but is hesitant based on praedial larceny concerns. However, he speaks confidently about venturing into chicken rearing.

“We hope to become a contract farmer for one of the poultry-producing companies, whether Jamaica Broilers or Caribbean Broilers,” he said.

Both Lascelles and Latoya are still full-time employees in the private sector. Occasionally, they get their boots in the dirt, but the business is largely managed by one full-time employee and a few contract workers. Lascelles said they will continue to keep their day job until the business is profitable enough to cover both their personal and business expenses.

“One day we hope to go full-fledged into running the farms but we don’t foresee that happening right now,” he said.

In the meantime, the couple continues to seek assistance wherever they can. For now, much of the help comes from the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), which supplies seeds and small tools. But as the business grows the Ellises are looking to tap Government funding agencies like the Development Bank of Jamaica.