WHEN Andrew “Nazir” Mattrasingh was nine years old, his father died, and what followed next was a lesson in resilience that would shape the rest of his life.

Raised by a mother who worked tirelessly to support five children on her own, Mattrasingh watched first-hand what sacrifice looked like. Decades later, as the owner of one of Jamaica’s longest-running contract poultry operations, he still measures success against those early memories.

“My aim was always to be an example,” he said. “Eventually, when I started having kids, I knew I had to plan for the next generation.”

That commitment has guided nearly every major decision he has made. After spending several years in Canada, Mattrasingh returned home in the mid-1990s determined to contribute to Jamaica’s development. He established a successful construction business before taking a chance in 1999 on a new poultry production model being introduced by CB Group.

Andrew Mattrasingh and his daughter Shea on their Clarendon poultry farm.

Mattrasingh did not hesitate to invest, and 25 years later, that decision has grown into Mattrasingh Farms in Clarendon Park, a six-house operation producing more than 1.1 million chickens annually. This brought him success as a champion farmer, mentor, and advocate for agri-investment. But the farm’s greatest success has never been measured by figures.

For him, it has always been about what comes next.

“This is a long-term business, and you will not see all the returns yourself,” he said. “But your generation, your family, your future will be more financially stable for it. That is one of the main focuses of any good father.”

When he walks through a supermarket he is reminded that his life’s work extends far beyond his own farm gate.

Andrew Mattrasingh (right) photographed with CB Group’s senior manager of field operations, Garry Stephens.

“When I go into the supermarket and see customers picking up CB Chicken to take home to feed their families, it’s a great feeling,” he said. “It’s just a kind of pride. I feel like a big man, you know? Some chicken in that freezer could be my chicken. I always learnt that the person who feeds you is a very important person.”

Standing on the farm today, with room already prepared for a seventh poultry house, Mattrasingh sees more than infrastructure. He sees continuity. That is why he continues encouraging others to invest in agriculture and why he believes initiatives such as CB Group’s ‘The Time Is Now’ campaign can help create opportunities for future generations while strengthening Jamaica’s food security.

Ultimately, Mattrasingh revels in personal achievements that hit much closer to home. Three years ago, his daughter Shea left a career in finance in Canada and returned to Jamaica to join the family business, diving headfirst into the daily operations and bringing her professional expertise to the management of the farm.

While learning the intricate technical and biological cycles from her father and the technical officer at CB, she is also pursuing a nursing degree with the support from her father who believes there are no limits to what she can achieve.

“We have always been in the business of chicken. Chicken has always been in our blood,” Shea said, reflecting on her childhood. “I remember one time we had church and we smelled the chicken farm. We were turned off by the smell. But then my father said, ‘No, that’s the smell of money.’ Growing up under that, I learned that what my dad built wasn’t just manual labour, it was a sophisticated enterprise and a secure future.”

As she actively manages production cycles alongside him, Shea is looking towards the future with complete certainty. Armed with the practical wisdom her father accumulated over 25 years and backed by the contract partnership, she is fully equipped to expand the family enterprise.

“I’m grateful for his vision, I’m grateful for his guidance, and I’m grateful for the kind of father that he is,” Shea shared. “What he has given us is hard to put in words, but because of the foundation he built here, I am entirely confident moving forward to carry this legacy into the next generation.”