IN A move to assist local entrepreneurs to tap into the lucrative essential oils industry, the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) recently hosted an Oil Extraction Methods Workshop targeting micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMES). The training which took place at the agency’s Incubator & Resource Centre in Kingston, March 18-19, saw participants learning to extract coconut oil and eucalyptus oil.
“There’s a general push toward essential oils globally, and what we produce locally stands out due to our climate and how the plants are grown,” said Treanna Lindo, agroindustry cluster supervisor at JBDC.
With the global essential oils market valued at US$18.6 billion in 2020 and projected to grow 7.4 per cent annually, Jamaica is uniquely positioned to benefit. The island’s distinct climate and soil conditions give its essential oils a unique profile that can differentiate them in the international market.
She continued, “This workshop is about developing the entire value chain, helping producers extract oils, but also teaching them how to grow the raw materials and create high-value cosmeceutical and nutraceutical products.”
One of the participants, Anna Barrett of Veeva Home, shared her experience.
“So far, it’s been great. On day one, we learned a lot. I came in knowing very little, so to hear from the different team members about the process, the equipment, and the importance of good practices in manufacturing. It’s been very interesting.”
She highlighted how the workshop will help her expand her small business by integrating essential oil production. “I am an entrepreneur, I do have a small business and my father also has a coffee farm which has a lot of different produce other than coffee. We have a lot of rosemary and a lot of citruses. We’re looking for ways to utilise what we grow on our farm to create essential oils.”
One of the highlights of the workshop was the live demonstration of steam distillation, where participants extracted 100 per cent natural eucalyptus essential oil from eucalyptus leaves sourced from the Blue Mountain region.
“With this machine, we are extracting eucalyptus essential oil. It’s a completely natural product, and we’re excited to see the interest from participants who want to take this knowledge back to their own businesses and enhance their production,” explained Claion Robinson, production operations specialist at the JBDC, who facilitated the workshop.
The company stressed in a release that, ‘With increasing local interest in aromatherapy, skincare, and natural wellness products, workshops like this help empower small business owners to innovate, expand, and tap into the lucrative essential oils industry’.
In 2022, through the $50 million Government of Jamaica investment, the JBDC opened its Essential Oils Incubator.
The incubator provides shared space to new and existing agroprocessors who prefer to take in their own materials for processing. Some of these products include ginger, turmeric, lemongrass and pimento.
The incubator houses the appropriate technology for the extraction of essential oils using steam distillation and mechanical press.
Source: Gleaner – https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20250415/growth-jobs-jbdc-aiming-create-oil-rich-entrepreneurs
