OLD HARBOUR, St Catherine — On an unassuming side street near the bustling Old Harbour Bay, stainless‑steel grinders hum while the warm fragrance of pimento, scotch bonnet and fresh thyme escapes into the Caribbean air. Inside the modest facility, Camille Henry’s five‑person team is composing flavour profiles that are headed far beyond Jamaica’s shores.
Henry — a graphic designer by trade and a storyteller at heart — launched JA Blends & Spices in 2022 after noticing how few supermarket shelves carried genuinely Jamaican, additive‑free seasoning. She decided to marry her visual‑branding skills with her love for island cuisine, designing labels that pop with folkloric colour while promising purity inside the jar. Every package doubles as a mini cultural artefact, drawing shoppers in long before the first sprinkle hits a sizzling pan.
A Clean‑Label Promise
JA Blends’ catalogue now features:
- Mild and hot jerk rubs
- Scotch bonnet pepper powder
- Scotch bonnet–garlic–parsley fusion
- Aromatic Jamaican curry
All products are MSG‑free, naturally preserved and packed in export‑ready bottles that meet hotel, restaurant and gourmet‑shop specifications.
Growth Against the Odds
Launching in the pandemic’s wake meant wrestling with fragile supply lines and soaring ingredient costs. Yet JA Blends still booked a 30 percent revenue jump between 2023 and 2024, helped by:
- Placement in JBDC’s Things Jamaican boutiques (Devon House & NMIA)
- Invitations to trade showcases such as Expo Jamaica and Christmas in July
- First‑time export orders that validated global demand for authentic island flavour
Beyond Profit: A Purpose‑Driven Path
Henry views the company as a platform for wider impact. She mentors young creatives, champions women‑led enterprises and plans to funnel a share of future earnings into community training programmes. “The brand isn’t just about seasoning,” she says. “It’s about proving that local ideas can win internationally and lift others in the process.”
Next on the Horizon
- Product range — Functional teas and innovative spice fusions influenced by classic Jamaican dishes
- Market reach — Deeper penetration of Caribbean supermarkets plus targeted diaspora hubs in North America and Europe
- Digital storytelling — An e‑commerce revamp and content series that spotlights farm‑to‑bottle sourcing and recipe inspiration
Three years in, JA Blends & Spices has moved from kitchen experiments to a scalable enterprise without sacrificing the handcrafted quality that first won loyal fans. If Henry’s roadmap unfolds as planned, the company won’t just season meals; it will season global perceptions of what “Made in Jamaica” can mean.
