‘Beeting’ the competition
4-H boy and girl of the year turn to underutilised produce
Knox College student, 19-year-old Dwight Henry, and 15-year-old Tavia Robinson of Marymount High School are the 2025 Jamaica 4-H Clubs boy and girl of the year, respectively.
The announcement was made at the Club’s National Achievement Day, held at the 4-H Training Centre in Denbigh, Clarendon, on last week Wednesday.
Henry, who hails from Clarendon, was able to secure victory through his innovative use of Jamaican crops in his ‘Presidential Mix’ food line.
“I incorporated underutilised products such as beetroot, jackfruit, coconut, and breadfruit into cake mixes, pancake-waffle mixes, smoothie mixes, and porridge mixes,” he stated.
The young man dedicated his victory to God, noting that he was not fearful but rather intent on “studying to show himself approved, put out his best and continue pushing forward”.
Guided by the philosophy ‘whatever your mind conceives, you can achieve’, the top boy said he was not daunted by his ambitions to create a multi-product food line, as he deemed it something necessary.
“There are a lot of underutilised produce, and we need to create a market for all of them and contribute to food security. I have done a lot of research from credible sites, doctor reviews, agro-processing manufacturers, so that I could have a more in-depth knowledge of [the] nutrients,” Henry said.
Among the products in his food line were Beetroot and Coconut Cake Mix, Beetroot-Coconut Smoothie Mix, Beetroot Pancake-Waffle Mix, Breadfruit Porridge Mix, Breadfruit-Coconut Cake Mix, Breadfruit Waffle Mix, Coconut Pancake-Waffle Mix, and Jackfruit Pancake Waffle-Mix.
Henry received $1 million as well as other prizes for his first-place victory and has already made plans to put his rewards to good use.
“I have already planned out a budget, but I am going to pray about it, because I plan on going forward with the business. I would even like to see my products on international shelves,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Tavia, who is from St. Mary, developed a skin care line called ‘Beauty and The Beet’ using beetroot.
“It was the plant of the year for our parish, St Mary. [When] I was sketching my ideas out, I thought to myself, ‘Skincare line is a popular thing to start out with’. I made soaps, lip scrubs, body scrubs, face scrubs, lip balms, I even made body butter,” Tavia said.
She noted that her skincare line helps “with anti-ageing, black spots and hyperpigmentation, and it does not stain the skin”.
Tavia, who was elated to receive the prestigious award, described her emotions going into the competition as nerve-racking.
“I was so nervous because I saw a lot of competitors and I kind of doubted myself, but… I said I am doing this for [my supporters], I am doing it for my school,” she stated.
“I was so surprised because I was the only 15-year-old there and everybody was older than me,” she added.
Tavia, who is an avid youth leader at her school, also represented Jamaica and the Caribbean in the Canadian-based 15@15: Youth Building Democracy Competition.
She is also poised to give back to her community, following her victory, through her non-profit organisation Vision Forge.
“[My organisation] helps youths. It is all run by 15-year-olds at my school. I help to organise events for students who are in need, help them to build skills and become active members in society,” she stated.
— JIS News
The Jamaica 4-H Club’s Girl of the Year skincare line ‘Beauty and the Beet’ on display at the 4-H Training Centre in Denbigh, Clarendon.
