Meikle finds gold in castor oil

For years, Dave Meikle was cutting down dozens of castor trees that grew wildly in his yard. The 30-year-old farmer saw them as pesky plants with no value.

However, his stance changed after he conducted research and found that there is a strong demand for castor oil, especially in the beauty and automotive industries.

Castor oil has since been added to Meikle's FarmBwoy Products brand, operating out of Sandy Bay in Clarendon. Meikle shared that the business is very lucrative, adding that a four-ounce bottle of the FarmBwoy castor oil retails for $2,500.

"It's a high demand for it because not a lot of people will sit down and pick out these tiny beans. To get a small (four ounces) bottle like this, you have to have a little over a pound of seeds -- a pound of this is thousands of seeds, so that's why this commodity is so expensive because it is very hard to reap," he said.

Meikle told THE WEEKEND STAR that a cold press is used to extract the oil from the seeds, thus eliminating lengthier processes, which reduces the quality of the oil.

"This method is the organic method, so we don't boil or parch the seeds. We use an extractor that actually grinds the seed, so you get a better quality oil. It's a lighter colour - it's not the black Jamaican castor oil, it's the organic, so it's a better grade oil and a higher quality," he said.

The FarmBwoy brand produces a variety of agricultural products, including livestock such as pigs, turkeys, goats, rabbits and cattle.

"There might be a glut in the market and your items might move a little slowly, so that's why I chose to remedy that problem by farming a lot of things, so something is always in season," he explained.

Speaking on his decision to venture into farming, Meikle said: "People have to eat everyday. You might buy a shirt today, you might buy a car today, but you have to buy food everyday. I saw this as a business you can't really fail in, and I have a real passion for farming," he said.