Since opening its doors in 2012, CPJ Market at Lady Musgrave has been a go-to for restaurateurs and caterers and a local favourite for the discerning shopper in search of new, innovative and tasty.

The retail store, which shares the 4,300-sq ft ground floor of the two-storey building with the deli is a haven for top-shelf liquor, meats and excellent seafood, while being the go-to place for a quick lunch.

The principals, Thursday Food is delighted to share, have upped the ante by packing the store's shelves with products created by 22 local artisans.

From farm-grown seasonings to spicy sauces, turmeric and ginger lime, chilled cookie dough, and handmade artisan chocolates, these products can pass muster on any international gourmet floor.

Make CPJ Market a must-stop this week and support our local artisans.

CPJ Market
Address: 71 Lady Musgrave Rd, Kingston 6
Hours: Monday - Saturday, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
Phone: (876) 633-5976

FenMade

After making my homemade condiments and constantly getting requests to stock my products I decided to form FenMade, in 2016, my gourmet condiment business which is sure to have “the likkle sum'n yuh need”. FenMade products have been on CPJ's shelves since October 2020, and I recently introduced our two new products Spicy Thyme Pickles and Sweet Heat Mint Pepper Jelly. It gives me inexplicable joy to see and hear how loved my products are.

— Kaci Fennell Shirley

Arawak Gourmet

Arawak Gourmet started three years ago, and in 2020 we responded to a CPJ Market invitation to local artisans who make authentic Jamaican products.

As a Jamaican creator, I love experimenting with Jamaican foods and spices, and popcorn was one of the things I usually snack on, both sweet and savoury.

Arawak Gourmet Popcorn was the result, and the decision was made to offer this to more people looking for an authentic Jamaican-made product. It's been fantastic being able to have them on the shelves of CPJ Market.

Our Coffee Coconut Crunch, and Coffee Almond Crunch are both made with Jamaican Coffee. Other sweet options are our Sweet and Spicy Jerk and Rum and Raisin Popcorn. The savoury options are our Cheesy Garlic and Garlic Butter Popcorn.

— Natalee Thomas-Shorter

Uncle Ducky's

The idea of Uncle Ducky's came about as early as 2019, but did not hit the market until mid-2020. We have always been lovers of pepper; however, there was no pepper product on the market that we felt we could use daily to complement everything we ate.

That being said, we did a homemade pepper sauce just for personal use. It was so good that we asked close friends and family to sample and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Because of this, we decided to develop the product so it was fit for the public, a process that took about six months.

And so Uncle Ducky's was born — June 2020. Since then, we've been able to formulate another crowd-pleaser: Uncle Ducky's Scotch Bonnet Butter.

The response to both products have been great and so we will be looking into expanding our range in the near future. Uncle Ducky's products have been available at CPJ Market since August 2020.

— Robin Perkins

Pure Chocolate Company

We are so grateful to be a part of CPJ's first batch of artisans to showcase our products. We have been a part of their offering since the reopening of their storefront.

Pure Chocolate Company was born in January 2017 from a desire to give back and develop a long-dormant and underappreciated home-grown product in Jamaica: its fantastic cocoa. The driving forces behind Pure are my wife Rennae Johnson and I. Rennae is a seasoned pastry chef, born and raised in Jamaica and knows the country, its farmers and communities. I have two decades of experience as an executive pastry chef and chocolatier at various high-end resorts in the Caribbean and Europe. Together as partners in business and life we have combined our love for each other with the love to create a unique chocolate brand from the land of wood and water.

The Pure way of making chocolate is simple and honest; we directly purchase cocoa beans from local farmers and create 100% Jamaican handmade chocolate. No additives, no middleman, and no fuss. Direct trade at its finest is a core value we hold close to our heart. We cherish our relationships with the local producers and regularly meet up and exchange knowledge that benefits both.

— Wouter Tjeertes

Reice's Confectionary

Reice's Confectionery started in 2020, with a dash of determination and a sprinkle of sheer luck. What began as a hobby — bringing picnic baskets of decadent desserts and crazy concoctions for friends at the beach to try — turned into a full-fledged registered business fulfilling orders for retail locations across the island in a matter of months.

In late July of last year, as they were upgrading the retail store, we received a message from CPJ. They shared their vision of creating an area for carefully curated, locally made food and beverage products. As luck would have it, someone there had tried our signature cookies, loved our product, and wanted us on their shelves.

In September, we delivered our first order to the café: four dozen freshly baked cookies in our favourite signature flavours, and they were a hit! A month later, we added our Chilled Cookie Dough Packs to the market, offering three flavours in two different sizes. Those who enjoyed the café's cookies could now make them at home using our pre-portioned cookie dough balls and have perfectly baked gourmet cookies in less than 15 minutes!

We still do a little dance every time we receive a message from happy customers, even more so from picky eaters, because we do hold ourselves to a high standard and strive to perfect what we do every day.

It is incredible and honestly an honour that simply through baking we have the opportunity to make someone smile, even just for a moment, especially with all that is going on in the world today.

— Shyana Reice Hibbert

The Perfect Batch

The Perfect Batch started in August 2019 and I slowly realised I did not have enough time for baking cookies in the evening with my young family to attend to. Fast-forward to April 2020, I started again! But this time I found the perfect way to balance my time at home and get others to enjoy my homemade cookies the exact way I do — hot and fresh out the oven. And then we had it — the Perfect Batch Cookie Dough for baking at home. We officially hit the freezer in CPJ Market in October 2020 with our classic and favourite Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and our Funfetti Cookie Dough. More flavours are on the way!

From my mixer to your freezer. I make, you bake! It's the Perfect Batch every time!

— Shannon Sasso

GV Jerky

GV Jerky started in August of 2019. Growing up on a cattle farm in Trelawny, beef jerky is something that my brother and I would make with my dad regularly. We'd always give lots away to family and friends. Friends would joke that we should start our own brand and sell it. So I said, “Hey, that's not a bad idea, why not?” I returned to Jamaica in 2017 — after completing my degree at Queen's University in Canada — to start managing the cattle operations on the farm. While doing this, I conceptualised this idea that is now the brand GV Jerky. With enormous help and support from my family we designed labels, got T-shirts made, got the product passed by the Bureau of Standards Jamaica and started selling our own beef jerky!

CPJ approached us about a year later at the beginning of August 2020. After trying a few samples, they agreed to stock our product which I was thrilled about, obviously! We've been there since and things are going well! So grateful for all the support and awesome feedback we have received.

— Douglas Henderson

Netty's Farm

Netty's Farm unofficially started in October 2013 when I bought 10 beehives as a birthday gift to myself. I had no idea what the business would look like, but I knew I had to invest in something as a newly divorced woman returning home from Dubai.

Fast-forward to 2016 when Netty's Farm started producing honey and pollen. We participated in local fairs and shows. We produced a variety of honeys (multi-floral, logwood and bitterwood), pepper-infused honey and loose teas. Specially curated honey packages were created to challenge the use of honey (eg, breadfruit cake mix sweetened with honey).

I pressed paused on production between 2017 and 2020, reigniting my passion in June 2020 once I resigned from my job in retail food. This is when I created a new line of products including honey from the hives called Likklebits.

Likklebits is a line of granola bites, and was launched in September 2020. These bites are gluten-free, made of plant protein and sweetened with dried fruit and of course a 'likkle' bit of honey. Currently, the line has five standard flavours (cranberry, carrot, cocoa, turmeric and spirulina) and a surprise seasonal flavour every three months.

The granolas are homemade and have a shelf life of two weeks when refrigerated and three months in the freezer. This is because there are no man-made preservatives.

Netty's Farm products have been at CPJ Market since January of this year.

— Eileen Dunkley-Shim

Likkle More

My Likkle More products hit the shelves of CPJ Market this year, but my story dates back years. Originally from the Ivory Coast, I spent my life moving around the world — before settling in Jamaica in 2010, where I fell head-over-heels in love with the country, its nature, people and island vibes. As a personal fan of French patisserie, I was inspired to introduce it to my new homeland.

I undertook fine pastry and chocolatier courses at Canada's most prestigious chocolate academy, as well as various cocoa trainings with the best bean-to-bar specialists in the Caribbean, so that I could establish my own atelier in Jamaica. A labour of love ensued, to create a collection of tantalising dessert recipes and wonderful artisan chocolates, infused with local flavours.

I have received the Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards' JingShi Award for Dessert Chef of the Year for four years in a row, and have collaborated with the Rousseau sisters on their outstanding second cookbook Provisions.

— Nadine Burie

Tooksie Kay Catering

We started our line in April 2020. It began with making a white truffle-infused Scotch bonnet sauce. But when COVID-19 hit and business began slowing down, I hardly had any catering jobs. I figured more people were at home cooking, so I thought of ways to make it easier for them. I quickly came up with some marinades and sauces for people to have Tooksie right at home. The Tooksie Kay products were made available at CPJ Market this year.

— Alexa von Strolley

Thursday Food shares the final 11 next week