Caribbean Export 2021 Annual Report FINAL

SUCCESS STORY

FEMALE FARMERS IN JAMAICA EMPOWERED BY ‘A TASTE OF THE CARIBBEAN’

Jamaican entrepreneur Sonya Dunstan started her small business ‘A Taste of the Caribbean Ltd’ in 2005, after spending several years in the hospitality industry. Sonya’s company partners with a network of Jamaican female farmers in remote areas to grow and supply the seasonal fruits and vegetables used in its preserves, chutney, jellies, and cooking sauces. Under the brand ‘Dunson’s’ the female entrepreneur produces a range that includes Caribbean staples such as guava, mango, sorrel, lemongrass, and ginger. All these fresh ingredients are cultivated by women on low incomes who usually face fluctuating demand and prices for their crops. “Our famers live in deep rural communities in Jamaica,” Sonya explains. “A lot of these women are economically challenged and disadvantaged so I went in and told them that whatever they planted I would buy, and I also pay a fair price. This has benefitted the farmers and by extension their children, their communities, and even the entire island.” Despite the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, she has been able to maintain and improve her business because of funding from Caribbean Export’s Direct Assistance Grant Scheme (DAGS).

Our famers live in deep rural communities in Jamaica,” Sonya explains. “A lot of these women are economically challenged and disadvantaged so I went in and told them that whatever they planted I would buy, and I also pay a fair price.

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