MAY PEN, Clarendon — A lactose-free rum cream that allows drinkers to choose just how much alcohol they wish to consume emerged a winner during the Clarendon leg of the Ministry of Industry, Investment & Commerce’s MSME Business Roadshow. Smith’s Rum Cream was among those battling for one of five $400,000 cash prizes.

“Smith’s Rum Cream is the only rum cream on the market that is lactose-free and the only rum cream that comes in customised tiers,” said Business Development Coordinator Sherane Jackson who showed off the products during last Wednesday’s event.

Company owner Donald Smith, who is lactose intolerant, introduced the product to schoolmates while pursuing a biochemistry degree at university. He soon found that his intolerance for lactose was not unique. He eventually quit his day job and focused on perfecting the family recipe. He tapped into his knowledge of biochemistry to remove lactose from milk and that evolved into the rich, smooth-tasting Smith’s Rum Cream now on shelves in several supermarkets locally.

“[There is] Citizen which is 17 per cent alcohol content, the other tier is Outlaw which is 21 per cent, and then there is Monarch which is 15 per cent. The Monarch is a top-tier line of Smith’s Rum Cream that is only offered to a select group of persons. Outlaw is for persons seeking a higher alcohol content than the others and it is a little more robust in flavour,” Jackson explained.

Smith’s Rum Cream was officially registered as a company in September 2022 and has been growing steadily with constant upgrades. There has been a move away from plastic to glass bottles, a change in the design of the packaging, labels and caps. There has also been an improvement in the flavours.

It comes in four flavours: original, vanilla, coffee and butterscotch.

“Usually, companies have vanilla as their original flavour, but for us it’s a butter pecan and pralines and cream undertone for our original as it was the first flavour that was made,” noted Jackson.

Now the company has its sights set on growth.

“We entered the pitch competition because it’s a great product and we want the money to expand and to purchase equipment such as immersion blenders, capping machines, conveyor belts, and so on. We also need staff and so many other things that are needed to run this business efficiently. We really need the $400,000 to enhance our business to push it forward and get to our goal of being the best rum cream in the Caribbean, and eventually in the world,” Jackson said.

She is hoping its unique selling points — the only lactose-free rum cream and the only one that has a butterscotch flavour and customised tiers to its alcohol content — will be enough to grab a share of the market.

Jackson said the company has done research worldwide which shows that there is a niche market for Smith’s Rum Cream.

“The percentage of persons that are lactose intolerant is alarming. Right now, around the world 65 to 70 per cent of persons are lactose intolerant and just about 50 per cent in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, so the need for something like this is great,” she said, adding that the product is already being sold-out at events.

“We’ve done over 30 expos last year alone and so we realise that persons gravitate to this product. A lot of places we have gone to we have sold out. Persons are intrigued and once they hear lactose those health-conscious persons gravitate to Smith’s Rum Cream and that’s a good thing for us. Our plan for the short term is to be the best rum cream in the island and be up there on the shelves with all the other big names in Jamaica,” Jackson told the Jamaica Observer.

Winning the MSME pitch competition was a huge confidence boost, and it was not easy.

Charmaine Brimm, technical specialist for socio-economic development at the Planning Institute of Jamaica, said she was impressed with those competing.

“We are seeing a lot of good products that can touch the manufacturing sector, with things like the rum cream; we’re seeing bath and body products which touch on another sector and also agro-processing with the honey, and so on. We’re seeing a lot of diversification in the products, and there are many private sector entities coming on-board which is a big thing. It says a lot because the reality is that we need the private sector coming on-board and giving into micro and small and medium enterprises,” said Brimm.

She pointed out that one of the challenges micro enterprises face is access to capital, and so the ministry’s initiative was welcomed as it seeks to bring funding agencies and entrepreneurs together with the aim of creating an environment that will allow small businesses to thrive.