P A Benjamin Manufacturing Company Limited is this year celebrating its 145th anniversary. The milestone was marked on Sunday, June 2, 2024 with a service at St George’s Anglican Church just doors down from its 95-97 East Street headquarters near the heart of Kingston.

The company has become renowned by Jamaicans, both locally and internationally, through its consistent supply of quality products.

The anniversary is being marked with a line-up of activities for the year-long celebration, which started in March.

Chairman Errol L G Powell advised that founder Perceval Austin Benjamin recognised the value of our national products and culture, and established the Jamaica Healing Oil Factory, which is today P A Benjamin.

“Our journey has not been without challenges,” said Powell; however, “true to the spirit of resilience… [and an] unwavering commitment to innovation and progress” the company continues to evolve.

P A Benjamin boasts having had a national hero among his numbers.

“The Right Excellent Marcus Garvey, a national hero, worked with us from 1905 to 1909, becoming the first Afro-Jamaican foreman,” Powell shared, adding that Garvey’s penchant for activism was evident and undeniable from his various grass roots encounters while at the company.

Denzil Barnes, acting priest-in-charge at St George’s Anglican, addressing the congregation which included the management and staff of P A Benjamin, said: “[R]esilience is the word, the hallmark.. Give God the glory.”

He urged the staff to lean on God for guidance, even in the face of difficulty and possible disagreement, and the journey will continue in love.

Marketing manager of P A Benjamin Manufacturing Merna Hines was brimming with praise for the team over the years, sharing, “We at P A Benjamin are a family, and we build together and grow together… and we look forward to the rest of the celebrations for our 145th year.”

Among the anniversary initiatives was a contribution to the church’s soup kitchen and scholarship programmes.