Jamaicans urge to tap lucrative essential oils market

With the essential oils market valued at US$18.6 billion in 2020, and projected to grow 7.4 per cent annually, Jamaican entrepreneurs are being urged to carve out their share of this lucrative industry.

The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) recently hosted a transformative oil extraction methods workshop, which is aimed at equipping micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to capitalise on the growing essential oils industry. Held at the JBDC's Incubator & Resource Centre in Kingston, the workshop provided hands-on training in extracting coconut oil and eucalyptus oil.

"There's a global push towards essential oils, and Jamaica's products stand out due to our unique climate and cultivation methods," said Treanna Lindo, agro-industry cluster supervisor at the JBDC.

"This workshop is about empowering local entrepreneurs to not only extract oils, but also to control the entire value chain, from cultivation to finished products," Lindo added.

Anna Barrett of Veeva Home, one of the participants, viewed the workshop was a game changer.

"It's been amazing! I came in knowing very little, but now I understand the process, the equipment, and the best practices. This knowledge will help me expand my small business and turn our farm's rosemary and citrus into profitable essential oils," Barrett shared enthusiastically.

A highlight of the workshop was a live-steam distillation demonstration, where participants extracted 100 per cent natural eucalyptus oil from leaves harvested in the Blue Mountains.

"Watching the oil flow from fresh leaves was incredible," Barrett added. "It opened my eyes to the possibilities right in my backyard."