St. Elizabeth is known far and wide as Jamaica’s ‘breadbasket parish’, its red soil produces pure gold – the yam, the watermelon, the sweet potatoes. But in this fertile parish, it isn’t only food that grows; nurtured by the land, creativity and innovation blossoms.
For entrepreneur Tiphanie McLynch, St. Elizabeth is the foundation of her brand, Self-Care at Tiphanie’s, which produces natural skincare, haircare and aromatherapy products. What began as a personal mission to soothe her newborn son’s eczema has flourished into a business that now serves customers across the island and beyond.
“Every time I used the prescribed topical ointments, I felt guilty,” she recalled. “I wanted something natural, something safe.” That search led her to create her first product, the Whipped Moringa Butter for sensitive skin. Soon, her entrepreneurial spirit plus her passion for dermatology gave birth to Self-Care at Tiphanie’s.
Today, the brand operates from a lab and has outgrown the kitchen where soaps and creams were whipped up. Alongside skincare and haircare, Tiphanie now produces tea bags, offers an online soap-making course, and even brings wellness directly to her clients with a mobile facial spa service, catering to corporate events and private bookings islandwide.
This is big business born right here in ‘St. E’. The rich soil and the ease of access to raw materials in the parish makes business easier for Tiphanie.
“We were able to grow what we use in our products like moringa, aloe vera, rosemary. And what we don’t grow ourselves, we source from local farmers,” she explained. This synergy between farming and manufacturing creates a unique advantage for businesses in the agro-processing industry to thrive.
A Parish of Possibilities
“We have diversity, locals and tourists, especially in Treasure Beach. People here are kind-hearted,open-minded, and willing to try new things,” she said. Beyond agriculture, she sees potential in tourism-driven businesses all with Treasure Beach, Junctionand Black River emerging as hotspots. Already, she supplies resorts and Airbnbs with bulk soaps, shampoos and conditioners.
From the Appleton Estate and YS Falls, the parish has a way of turning what it has into something lasting. The JBDC knows that Kingston is not Jamaica. That’s why the JBDC has offices islandwide to serve entrepreneurs.
The Business Centre in Manchester supports residents of Manchester and St. Elizabeth alike. Entrepreneurs can access the tools to structure their ideas, test their products, and grow beyond borders. And while the nearest JBDC office is inMandeville, Tiphanie is proof that distance is no barrier.
“And that’s what I like with JBDC as well,” she says, “You don’t even have to be in the same parish as the office to actually have access. So, the parish that is closest to me is Manchester, yet still I do a lot of business in Kingston. So, you literally can stay anywhere in Jamaica and create a business. It’s just that you have to go out there and just network and grow from that aspect.”
Located at Shop #24, 39 Ward Avenue at the Stone Surreal Plaza, Mandeville – the JBDC Business Centre is here to serve you. Shauna Lowe, Business Development Officer says that while the entrepreneurs in St. Elizabeth are “enterprising”, there is room for growth and development.
“They’ll try a number of things in St. Elizabeth. So, coming up with new business ideas is not an issue. The issue I find is managing the business part. So, they need the training and they need the intervention.”
The JBDC has hosted outreach initiatives like trainings and workshops, “They will come out. They do appreciate it. But again, however, even when we do go down (St. Elizabeth), one of the main issues is that not all of them can come out to us. They can’t, because St. Elizabeth is so large.”
Still, the agency is imploring them to make it a priority.
While most of the businesses in ‘St. E’ are centred around agriculture, Lowe says there is potential for businesses to tap into tourism. “The opportunities mostly lie agro-processing. That’s the industry for St. Elizabeth, yes, but in terms of growth prospects in tourism, I think I have at least one person starting a tour company, so it does attract tourists because the rivers and especially Black River…nice tourist attraction.”
If you’re an entrepreneur in St. Elizabeth, connect with JBDC through the Manchester Business Centre. Call Shauna at 876-625-3406 or 876-373-8117. Let JBDC help to grow your business ‘From Concept to Market’. Visit www.jbdc.net to connect with a JBDC office near you.
