Good vibes reign at Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival

The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival, held on the lawns of Devon House on Saturday, featured some of Jamaica’s finest creatives and their contributions to why visitors return or foreigners feel compelled to visit the island.

Both young and old were out in their numbers as they enjoyed the intense aroma of the rich quality of the Blue Mountain coffee that filled the air, while enjoying live performances that encouraged good vibes.

The festival showcased various handmade jewellery, apparel, and tasty foods, with the addition of a pop-up petting zoo offered by the Kingston Hope Zoo just for the kids’ amusement.

Many booths showcased distinct history.

One example was the generational trade of sewing which has been passed down to Simone ‘Tasha’ Gordon, owner of T&T Fashion.

Operating the business from her home in Spanish Town alongside her 21-year-old daughter, Tianne Esson, Gordon told The Gleaner that as a little girl she was always enamoured by the trade that birthed unique creations that would give customers an added sense of self-worth and confidence.

As she grew up watching her grandmother, grandfather, and mother slaving away at a sewing machine, the amount of time it required to design and manufacture garments still did not deter her pursuits in the field.

“I used to pick up the scraps from mommy work and design for the dolly clothes who were my customers ... as it drop me tek it up,” she jokingly recalled.

Years later, she took the skill more seriously and established herself professionally as an entrepreneur five years ago.

Her inherited sewing machine which her mother would use has since crafted thousands of beautiful statement African print pieces, from handmade leather bags to broad stylish beach hats and jackets, alongside belts and so much more that could not be named off the top of her head.

Although her daughter has shown no interest in becoming a fashion artist, Gordon admits that she has brought a new, innovative perspective on marketing through social media management, as well as her own flair in designing graphic T-shirts for the business.

Chief Marcia Douglas of the Charles Town Maroon Council Limited, which is located in Portland at the foot of the Blue Mountain, also displayed the handiwork created by both the young and senior generations in the town.

maroon culture

The Maroons’ predecessors, who relied largely on coconuts and calabash, have left the culture deeply ingrained in the community and its diversified offerings over time.

The community’s medicinal traditions have also resulted in the creation of pain rubs made from a variety of herbs and spices to alleviate pain from the affected areas. It is also supposed to help with sinusitis and headaches, and act as a room vaporiser.

Cattle horns are also used to craft fashion bangles and other jewellery alongside the Abeng, a distinctive sounding instrument that has been used for decades to communicate across long distances in ways that outsiders cannot comprehend or to signify good news.

“If you want to have a wonderful day and feel like you’ve come to another country, come to Charles Town,” Douglas encouraged.

Patricia White, operator of Jewellery Essentials, has worked in her parents’ 30-year-old business for almost 10 years.

Her mother, who was one of the first persons to introduce the semi-precious stone, hematite, to Jamaica’s jewellery production for sale, had motivated White to eventually become a jewellery manufacturer herself.

During a Gleaner interview, she said, “naturally growing up in it, I’ve always been a fashionista, so I just gravitated towards it”.

After earning a marketing diploma, she opted to take over the company because it was profitable and aligned with her goals.

But, while many tourists appear to appreciate hematite jewellery, she noted that the dynamics of the business have changed, and consumers are now more interested in leather-type trinkets and other less expensive options to purchase as gifts before travelling back home.

“It’s not only rich people vacationing, you have ordinary people vacationing, where people would save and vacation and probably can’t afford to buy a lot, so they buy a little bracelet,” she said.

Despite the fact that the COVID-19 outbreak forced her business to close due to a lack of tourists to sell to, White expressed optimism that things will pick up soon now that the country’s restrictions had been lifted.

Pamela Pitter started her company, Culinary Wellness and Beyond, as a birthday present to herself when she turned 50 in 2019.

Pitter’s decision to share her story with others was prompted by the realisation that “whatever I am doing now is going to determine the future for me”, as she put it.

“We want persons to understand that the journey to wellness starts with a meal. Not diet, not exercise, [but] what you eat, why you eat, [and] the time that you eat, are all that factors into wellness,” she said.

Dispelling the notion that desserts are unhealthy food options, White has started to find ways to make baked banana and bread puddings to be more healthy while retaining its unique, tasty flavours.

“The objective is not to deny yourself, not to feel like you can’t have one, but learning that it’s all about control, [as] you have the power to choose,” she said and so, White encourages persons to join her on her journey in feeling good and sharing it with everyone else.

asha.wilks@gleanerjm.com