EVERYTHING Fresh Limited’s decision to rebalance its business years ago, reducing its dependence on Jamaica’s hotel sector, is now proving invaluable as Hurricane Melissa leaves a trail of damage across the island’s western tourism belt — once the company’s main source of income.

Managing Director Courtney Pullen told shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting on Monday that the shift, which began during COVID-19, has significantly strengthened its ability to withstand temporary shocks to the tourism industry.

“We rebalanced our client-type portfolio during COVID to decrease our dependence on hotel sector revenues, so a short-term slowing of the tourism industry will not have an overwhelmingly adverse impact on us,” Pullen told the Jamaica Observer in a follow-up interview.

The western corridor, including Montego Bay and Negril, bore the brunt of Melissa’s impact last week, forcing several hotels to close for repairs. For Everything Fresh — a major supplier of meats, seafood, dairy, and dry goods to hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets — that would once have meant a sharp decline in sales. But the company’s diversification over the past four years, expanding into supermarkets, restaurants, and regional export markets, has created a broader, more stable base of customers.

Before the pandemic as much as 95 per cent of the company’s business came from supplying hotels. That heavy concentration left it exposed when COVID-19 brought tourism to a halt, forcing the distributor to rethink its model and invest heavily in new market segments. Currently, business from the tourism segment contributes less than half of EFresh’s total revenue.

For the six months ended June 30, 2025 the group recorded a 25.8 per cent rise in revenue to $2.17 billion, an increase of $445 million over the same period a year earlier. Net profit nearly doubled to $87.4 million, supported by stronger performance in both Jamaica and The Bahamas, where revenues climbed 26 and 23 per cent, respectively.

Pullen said the company continues to invest in logistics and storage to meet growing demand and reported no damage or spoilage from Hurricane Melissa.

“Our generators stood up well and the electricity at the Marcus Garvey Drive warehouse has already been restored,” he said, noting that operations have returned to normal.

Even as the full extent of the storm’s impact on tourism unfolds, Pullen believes the company’s diversified business mix will help it stay steady.

“We’re not predicting the extent of the fallout yet. It depends on how long the hotels have to close for,” he told shareholders. “But our experience during COVID has prepared us to navigate shocks like these.”