Kingston, Jamaica – The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) Oil Extraction Methods Workshop held on March 18-19, 2025, has equipped Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) to participate in booming essential oils industry. The training which took place at the agency’s Incubator & Resource Centre in Kingston saw participants extracting 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, Agro-Industry Cluster Supervisor at JBDC.
With the global essential oils market valued at USD 18.6 billion in 2020 and projected to grow 7.4% 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. So, 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% 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.
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.
The JBDC is committed to the development of the local essential oils industry. In 2022, through the $50 million dollar Government of Jamaica investment, the JBDC opened its Essential Oils Incubator.
The Incubator provides shared incubator space to new and existing agro-processors who want to bring their own materials for processing. Some of these products include ginger, turmeric, lemon grass and pimento.
The incubator houses the appropriate technology for the extraction of essential oils using steam distillation and mechanical press.
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