Mavis Bank Coffee Factory rebounds with over $1b in sales

On the verge of celebrating 100 years of Blue Mountain coffee exports on March 23 next year, and the 70th anniversary of being the first Jamaican company to export to coffee- loving Japan, Mavis Bank Coffee Factory has marked the upcoming landmarks with over $1 billion in sales in 2022, exceeding its targets and signalling a rebound from COVID-19-induced setbacks, when sales fell to below $200 million.

Managing Director and CEO Norman Grant made the announcements last Saturday in an address at the company’s sparkling Christmas staff party, held at the Medallion Hall Hotel in Kingston.

“We are looking forward to really demonstrate that not only Japan, not only the USA or Canada, nor Europe nor the other markets can celebrate the uniqueness of our coffee, but we do so in Jamaica. And how are we gonna do this? We will do so by expanding our quality to be consistently world-class. We were the first company to be certified under Safe Quality Food, now version nine, and we will continue to score heavy in terms of high grades. So whether you are having Jablum or Mavis Bank or Wallenford (companies in the group), you are really having the best quality coffee, which is the ‘coffee experience beyond compare’,” Grant stated.

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The CEO commended his team of coffee selectors, led by Nola Erdith and Fay McLean, noting that Mavis Bank was awarded the prize for being the top green bean exporter, a feat achieved by recording no more than three per cent defects, as well as being the top roasted bean exporter in 2020–2021.

Grant said Mavis Bank was going to create a sales and logistics hub out of its Marcus Garvey Road outlet to further increase its distribution efficiencies in the coming year as it pushed to improve even further on its sales, noting that these had improved. This growth included doubling sales at its Jablum Coffee House on Oxford Road and to customers such as the ROK Hotel, Dolphin Cove and Chukka Cove locally.

He said in building on the Wallenford and Mavis Bank merger, the group would be also pushing to increase shelf space at supermarkets, focusing on Mavis Bank and True Blue blends “to make it dominate” in the coming year.

“Come 2023, we must all be singing from the same song sheet in all our departments to maximise quality, professionalism and profits, so as to give a good return to our shareholders, coffee farmers and workers,” Grant noted.