Hot commodity - Scotch bonnet seed venture grows

Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer

CLERMONT, St Mary:

WHEN ORAL Lewis and friends sent off a load of Scotch bonnet peppers to the AMC Complex in the Corporate Area, from where it would be shipped to the United States, they were already counting the profits and anticipating the next shipment.  When news came that the peppers were rejected after being deemed too stale for export, it was a hard blow, especially since it was the most pepper they had reaped in some time.

For the agronomist, who was employed at the St Mary Banana Estate at the time, this was a little business he was trying to do on his own time, and he took the disappointment very hard.

En route to St Mary, after picking up the peppers, the friends thought long and hard about what they could do with what was now essentially waste and was destined to spoil. Desperate to recoup some of the money they had invested, they settled on deseeding the peppers and reselling the seeds to people interested in planting peppers. A few exploratory calls later, things were looking up as Rackadam Farms Supplies agreed and made a large order for Scotch bonnet seeds. Lewis recalled their excitement when they realised the cash value of the order.

"So we get a spoonful and put inna each pack and we got about 500 packs of seed he requested, and at about $12 each, we got $6,000. That amount of money was about twice as much as we would have got from the export sales, and we didn't extract everything. So that really taught us something, that bwoy, there was great potential! And that is where the seed business started."

Speaking from the offices of Lewiscotch Nursery and Seeds in Clermont, St Mary, on the premises where the company now operates a successful nursery, Lewis proudly declared that "this business came out of that disappointment".

Diversify and expand

As the demand for more Scotch bonnet and other seeds grew, largely by word of mouth, he was forced to diversify and expand operations, and when Agro Grace placed an order suggesting that he put a logo on the package, the name Lewiscotch and the logo, which is an image of a Scotch bonnet pepper, were born. The name is a combination of his name and Scotch from the Scotch bonnet pepper with which it all started.

As the business grew, it began to attract orders from some of the largest suppliers of agricultural goods and services, including Hi Pro, St Farm Supplies, and Quantum Distributors, to name a few. Then, with the launch of the Eat Jamaican campaign, came a shot in the arm.

"Around about that time, householders wanted a pack of seeds to plant in their back yard, not a quarter pound can, they wanted a pack, a manageable amount, and so apart from pepper, they also wanted other seeds. So that's how the seed business really shot off. While the seed business was shooting off, alongside that I was also doing a little nursery with seedlings in potting bags, which also had high demand," said Lewis. "So there was a demand for seeds, there was a demand for seedlings, and so that's where the nursery aspect came in and persons began calling on me for seedlings."

To meet the growing demand, Lewis acquired an adjoining acre and a half of land and set up a greenhouse nursery, and this investment has paid off.

Said he: "Customers from all parishes come right here so for seedlings, but now I have also diversified, not only dealing with pepper but also tomato, sweet pepper, pak choi, carrot, lettuce, onion, scallion, thyme. At any one point in time, if you come to this nursery you will find most of these seedlings available and you will find customers taking five, 10 - whatever. There is no limit. Schools, 4-H movement, they utilise this facility for their benefit."

While business in general has been good, due mainly to the company's impressive track record of top-quality seeds and seedlings, Lewis says it is not always smooth sailing. While he serves in the capacity of general manager, with a full-time job at the Banana Board, a great deal of the day-to-day work is done by the full-time staff of six, including supervisory personnel.

christopher.serju@gleanerjm.com

Photos by Christopher Serju