SRC urges entrepreneurs to use plant incubator to help manifest their dreams
Published:Friday | December 15, 2023 | 12:14 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
Carolyn Rose Miller, marketing and corporate communications manager at the Scientific Research Council (SRC), is imploring entrepreneurs within the personal care sector to not “sit on” their dreams but instead come and utilise the organisation’s newly acquired pilot plant incubator.
Speaking with The Gleaner on Thursday, Rose Miller stated that the SRC had previously done some assessments that revealed an urgent need within the personal care sector as many clients wanted to start their businesses but had challenges finding manufacturing space.
With the pilot plant personal care incubator now in operation and ready to offer support to those individuals who find it difficult to locate a manufacturer for their product concepts, it is expected that the use of this facility will help to “stimulate the growth and development [of] businesses in that space”, Rose Miller said.
The 640-square foot plant is currently equipped to manufacture cold-processed soaps at a production capacity of up to 85 kilogram per run. The council accepts approximately 10 clients per day. Clients are required to schedule an appointment with the council, indicating what day they intend to use the plant.
Rose Miller stated that the reason behind starting off with soap production was because this was the main demand but noted that in the future, the council is hoping to receive funding to expand to different areas such as the manufacturing of shampoos and body wash.
“We encourage them not to sit on their dreams. Space is here for them to kickstart their business. December, January coming, you know persons become hopeless or looking for new opportunities, [but] they can come to us,” she said.
She continued that the benefits of the facility located at the SRC’s Hope Gardens Complex, Kingston 6, include the offering of technical guidance through various necessary tests performed to ensure the production of a safe product for consumers and aid in getting their recipe standardised, which would also help in budgeting for the exact quantities they would need in raw materials.
“If [the product] is not standardised then we will formulate the soap [considering] what are the inputs, what are the targets, what is the intended benefit for the soap, do you want something to treat acne, do you want something for anti-aging,” Rose Miller said.
She continued: “So, depending on the solutions you are gearing towards, we will guide you with respect to your raw material selection, inputs, and the quantities.”
For the Christmas holiday, Rose Miller said the council intends to give persons who have been trained by them a discount in using the machine.
The council is also looking to launch a competition, targeting persons who have participated in their workshops that they can look out for to answer some questions to gain the opportunity of a manufacturing day in the pilot plant, Rose Miller said.
Though the facility is designed to meet the needs of existing businesses in the personal care products industry, persons without experience can easily access SRC-hosted personal care product training workshops. These workshops are geared at introducing potential entrepreneurs to the various products in which there is business potential. Participants are equipped with the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to formulate their own products. Currently, the council offers training in creating lotions and body creams, bar soaps, and body washes.
Persons wishing to utilise the personal care products pilot plant should contact the SRC at (876)927-1771-4 or by email at headsrc@src-jamaica.org and on social media @srcjamaica on X (formerly Twitter), Meta (formerly Facebook) and Instagram.