MANDEVILLE, Manchester — A proprietor at Manchester-based Jamaica Standard Products (JSP), a leading manufacturer in the coffee industry, remains optimistic despite the company suffering losses to its crop, resulting in reduced production.

John O Minott Jr, managing director at JSP, told journalists on International Coffee Day last Wednesday of the continued push by the company to expand into showcasing its products including the celebration of Island Blue Coffee House’s first anniversary in Mandeville.

“The coffee industry like many others has its problems. We have been struggling with production in recent times, especially due to weather situations. Last year probably would be considered one of the worst years that we have had in recent history, production falling by over 50 per cent. This was due to the consistent rainfall that we had, not necessarily from Beryl, but after leading up to the end of the year, so we lost a lot of coffee from the excessive rainfall, but despite that we are pressing on. Fortunately, as we expand and look into more value added with the birth of our first official café of this nature. We are quite excited about the future,” he said.

JSP is the largest producer of high mountain coffee in Jamaica. The now fourth-generation business has its base in Williamsfield, Manchester. There the company houses its roasting, distribution, and administrative operations. Presently JSP operates two farms — a 200-acre farm in Baron Hall in Cave Valley, St Ann, and a 60-acre farm in Blue Baron Estate in Springhill, Portland.

“As far as the struggles that we face in the growing of coffee, we have been grappling especially in the high mountains whereby production has fallen over the past 10 to 15 years. This is as a result of weather, disease, and a lack of interest from our younger farmers, young people. As the older generation perishes you find that you are not getting the take up from the younger folks. Now agriculture is not easy and coffee farming in particular is not easy, it is a long-term crop that requires patience and a lot of determination to see it through,” said Minott Jr.

He pointed to the challenges with the farming and production of coffee.

“It is not like a crop that has a short growing time. Most people who plant and produce within six to nine months, less than a year, there is production. There is a crop. For coffee you have to wait at least three years, so when you tell a farmer that you are going to have to invest for three years and wait for your money, it is a hard sell,” he said.

“I think with the cost of labour people are not interested in working again. I don’t know what is happening to our younger folk. The commitment to that kind of work, agriculture, is just not there. They want easier, quicker money and cleaner money. I mean to work in coffee and any other crop you are going to dirty your hands and you have to face all of the vagaries of growing a crop, so it is a challenge,” he said in response to a question posed by journalists.

He said many people have concentrated on coffee farming in the Blue Mountains.

“The Blue Mountains is not as bad, but the price point is better, so you find that people naturally [are] a little more attracted to growing coffee in the Blue Mountains, but that is just the nature of the business. We are hoping that we’ll still keep it going as the years go by,” he said.