The craving for freshly brewed Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee was satisfied on Saturday, March 1 as attendees converged on Hope Gardens, St Andrew, for the eighth staging of the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival. Previously held at the Newcastle Parade Grounds, the annual festival moved to Hope Gardens this year, allowing for over 70 vendors to entice the gathering with a large selection of coffee-related products and experiences. The intermittent showers could not dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm, especially when the festivities were marshalled by hosts Jennifer “Jenny Jenny” Small and Khadine “Miss Kitty” Wilkinson.

Jenny Jenny opened proceedings in the morning with her signature energetic flair. The morning got off to a buzzing start as the Charles Town Maroons entertained the crowd with traditional singing and dancing. Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister Senator Aubyn Hill welcomed patrons, heralding the growth of the festival and emphasising the importance of strengthening the Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee brand for further global reach through partnerships.

“Jamaica is growing and it’s we who must make it grow. Nobody else is going to make it grow for us. So with the [various] linkages, we are going to make sure that Jamaican coffee goes far,” Hill said.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett in his opening remarks celebrated the farmers who produce Jamaica’s coffee. He also expressed optimism about the product’s potential to generate significant revenue for Jamaica, spearheaded by the ingenuity of small entrepreneurs.

“We have the best farmers in the world who have done marvellously well to create this great product called Blue Mountain Coffee. The derivatives from coffee are far more lucrative and offer great opportunities for wealth creation. We want to make coffee a wealth creating agent not just an item for gastronomy, but an element of job creation and prosperity,” Bartlett said. “This Government is committed to doing that through the Tourism Enhancement Fund. We are seeking to build capacity, particularly with our small entrepreneurs, to help upscale and enable them to do more with the coffee.”

Bartlett encouraged entrepreneurs to take advantage of the resources available through the EXIM Bank of Jamaica, allowing entrepreneurs to access up to $25 million for their respective ventures. In closing, Bartlett said creating attractive products using the Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee brand, will be instrumental in giving tourists a new experience of the wonders of Jamaica.

“People travel to fulfil their passions and their passions are varied. Our job is to build products around these passion points, so that we will become a place that they want to come. Tourism is everything. It’s all that you do, it’s how you do it. It’s your culture, it’s your swagger, it’s your music, it’s your dance, it’s your manufactured goods and it is your engineering products as well as your creative output,” Bartlett said. “So let us work together. Tourism and coffee [are] a great combination to make Jamaica a prosperous nation.”

With the festival officially opened, the Silver Birds Steel Orchestra entertained the crowd as Bartlett and Hill toured the grounds, sampling the coffee on offer. The ministers were particularly enticed by the Jamaica Biscuit Company’s booth, sampling its Excelsior Cinnamon Cracker bread pudding with coffee sauce.

The afternoon session was a joyous affair as “Miss Kitty” led proceedings in her typical upbeat manner, hosting the finals of the barista competition even as patrons grooved to the sounds of Renaissance Disco. The four finalists, Ricardo Jackson from Pink Apron, Shamar McGibbon of Cannonball Café, Romell Bailey of Café Blue and Carlous Young of the Courtleigh Hotel, showcased their unique barista skills. After a tight competition, Bailey, who was last year’s champion, defended his crown, winning $25,000, with Jackson finishing second and McGibbon placing third. Fuelled by the rich coffee aroma, the attendees were energised by the performances of reggae artistes Tanya Stephens and Sanchez, who showcased their repertoire of chart-toppers. It was a fitting way to close another year, celebrating the spirit of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee.