AS companies prepare to spend millions of dollars on Christmas gifts for employees, clients and business partners, the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) is urging them to give local producers a larger share of that spending, particularly as small businesses continue to recover from Hurricane Melissa.

Through its Things Jamaican retail network, the agency has launched a corporate gifting campaign dubbed B2B Buy to Build – A Made-In Jamaica Christmas, aimed at connecting companies with Jamaican artisans and manufacturers while helping smaller businesses secure much-needed sales.

The initiative comes as many entrepreneurs are trying to rebuild their operations following the hurricane. However, JBDC says restoring production alone will not be enough if businesses are unable to find customers willing to purchase their goods.

“In order for the economy to thrive, we have to be buying, we have to be trading,” manager of the Marketing Services Unit, Janine Fletcher-Taylor, said.

She explained that the hurricane’s impact has gone beyond businesses that suffered direct damage. Some producers have also lost sales because their traditional customers, particularly those in the tourism industry, were affected by the storm and have had to direct their spending towards rebuilding their own operations.

The campaign is being rolled out alongside broader recovery efforts by the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, which is leading its agencies in implementing a $500-million MSME Restoration Grant Programme to assist micro, small and self-employed businesses affected by Hurricane Melissa.

But Fletcher-Taylor argued that financial assistance to restore operations must be accompanied by efforts to generate business.

FLETCHER-TAYLOR…there are grants and so on available to re-establish infrastructure and production, but if you are not getting the orders, if you are not getting the sales, then it will be for naught

“There are grants and so on available to re-establish infrastructure and production, but if you are not getting the orders, if you are not getting the sales, then it will be for naught,” she said.

“The most important thing is to get persons back in a mindset of trading and buying and selling so that they can earn. That is the lifeblood of any business.”

The JBDC believes corporate Christmas spending presents an immediate opportunity to help stimulate those sales without requiring companies to create new budgets or spending programmes.

“Easy. Buy Jamaican for your corporate gifting. This is something that corporate Jamaica does every year,” CEO of the JBDC Daenia Ashpole said.

She said Things Jamaican offers companies a convenient way to source locally made gifts without having to identify and assess individual suppliers themselves.

“JBDC Things Jamaican becomes that plug, becomes that conduit through which you can get pre-assessed products that we can attest to their quality. We can attest to their supply capabilities. We can attest to their standards,” she added.

For many of the businesses targeted by the campaign, securing orders could also have a direct impact on household finances.

ASHPOLE… Buy Jamaican for your corporate gifting.

Ashpole explained that Jamaica’s business sector consists largely of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, many of which depend on daily sales to support their owners and families.

“The truth is that the way the business architecture is structured is mainly micro, small and medium. But more so for the micro and small, business is closely linked to daily sustenance, daily living and family life,” she said.

Beyond promoting local products, the campaign is also designed to address some of the difficulties small producers face when trying to secure corporate contracts.

Fletcher-Taylor explained that many entrepreneurs spend most of their time making products and may not have the administrative systems needed to handle large orders, manage purchase orders or meet the payment and delivery requirements of corporate clients.

Things Jamaican will therefore act as an intermediary, working with companies to determine their budgets, preferred products, quantities and delivery timelines before matching them with suitable local suppliers.

The campaign features products from 25 Jamaican artisans across categories including craft and woodwork, fine art, ceramics, pottery, aromatherapy, food and beverage. Companies will be able to choose from curated gift collections, customised items, engravings and other personalised offerings.

The wider Things Jamaican network currently carries products from more than 400 local producers, giving the JBDC an established pool of suppliers from which to source gifts.