Husband-and-wife duo cops business award

A husband-and-wife duo who developed a prosperous business, Addia Essential Oil, by converting their farm produce into healthy and therapeutic natural oils celebrated recently after scooping their second award in four months.

After winning the prize for Best Agribusiness and Agro-industry at this year's Denbigh show in August, last month, Addia and Ainsworth Brown collected the award for Best Local Economic Development and Support Programme from the Social Development Commission (SDC) at St Mary's third annual Community Incentive and Grants Programme Awards.

The event, which took place at the Moxons Beach Hotel and Restaurant in Boscobel, evaluated the work done by community groups throughout the year and paid tribute to the parish's top performers.

After collecting their award, Addia and Ainsworth Brown told Rural Xpress how they were able to develop a grass-roots business into a national enterprise using basic products such as rosemary, nutmeg, and coconut.

Ainsworth said: "We are farmers who indulge in agribusiness and agro-industry, in the sense that we make products from our farm that are potent, 100 per cent authentic to Jamaica, and provide value for money.

"We're just striving to develop a stronger economic base for our community and parish and, from that, we have created a nutraceutical line of products that are aimed at the holistic lifestyle market."

His wife Addia related: "Addia Essential Oil is a two-year-old business, and during that time we've been partnering with schools and agencies such as the Social Development Commission, the Jamaica Agricultural Society, and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority to help uplift and show farmers that they don't have to just be out there working to sell the crops they grow; they can also be a producer.

"The idea is to encouraging farmers to not just grow their crops and leave them, but to try and make something out of them that can add value."

She added: "Some of our most popular products are the nutmeg oil and the avocado oil, which is cold-pressed from the fruit, highly potent, and works very well for healthy, more beautiful, and younger-looking skin.

Ainsworth disclosed: "Rosemary oil is also popular. It's therapeutic and great for haircare and maintenance, thinning and breaking hair, and dandruff or eczema on the scalp. It's grown on our farm, is 100 per cent organic, and can add elasticity to the hair. We also have 100 per cent cold-pressed extra virgin coconut oil, which has no heat involved in the process. We use solar energy to extract moisture and then press the oil.

"Natural products are becoming more popular because in every country, people have suffered the side effects of medicines, cosmetics, colognes, soaps or whatever, because they are chemical-based.

"The thing about natural organic products," Ainsworth noted, "is that you have benefits: the enzymes, minerals, and nutrients that help build the body and create a wholesome human being. That's the upside and comparison; one gives you benefits, and the other gives you side effects."

For more information on Addia Essential Oil, email addiaessentialoil@gmail.com or call 1-876-3373575.