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Jamaican Coffee and Old whiskey are my two must have luxuries. ..
Wallenford is seriously good....aint cheap.. 50 US dollars plus a pound upt o 120 US dollar .... So how could a government run a company at a loss ?????
I believe John Minott was a fellow schooler.. Rich D....Class of 80
Minott Develops Own Coffee Brand, Drops Wallenford
Published: Thursday | April 17, 20140 Comments
The old Wallenford Blue coffee sold by Jamaica Standard Products Company sits at left in a basket of other products. - File
Jamaica Standard Products Company Limited (JSP) has rebranded its former Wallenford Blue coffee products to Island Blue at a cost of $20 million and is now exploring new sales strategy to grow business.
General Manager John Minott said export sales of the company's products average 40 per cent, with local sales leading the charge.
With the investment in the development of its own branded identity, which follows the sale of Wallenford Coffee Company, JSP aims to increase its online sales which it currently executes through a third party.
"The fact that we have established our own brand, we expect it to do well," Minott said, noting that marketing had been a concern when it shared the Wallenford brand.
Wallenford Coffee Company was previously owned by the Government of Jamaica, through the Coffee Industry Board, but was a lossmaker for the State. It was divested it to Lee Chin's AIC International Investments Limited (AIIL) in a deal worth US$39.5 million, or about J$4 billion, last year.
"Previously, there was some amount of similarity between two entities with the name. The name may have presented some confusion in the marketplace. It sure will avoid some of the confusion which existed before since people have come to know that we are the ones that produced it," said Minott.
"We had a licensing arrangement with the Coffee Industry Board that allowed us to use the name," he said, noting the appeal of the authentic geographic location for which the brand was named.
similar packaging
Island Blue hit the shelves on April 1, with packaging that is similar to the previous brand.
"The logo and the look of the product was always ours," he said.
The product now bears sharper colours but maintains the image of a woman from the islands sipping coffee.
Island Blue is targeted at the company's current overseas markets. The rebranding was informed by market research based "primarily on tourists" shopping at the company's five retail stores.
"The biggest impact we would expect to come from the name change would come from the foreigners rather than the locals," said the JSP general manager
"We did some in-store checks with the buyers of the products and one or two supermarkets locally. Most of the research was done in the outlets that cater to tourists," he said.
With approximately 300,000 pounds of green and roasted coffee produced annually, JSP distributes its products through its five shops on the north coast, as well as through other gift shops and supermarkets.
A roasted peaberry bean product has also been added to the company's product line in 0.5-pound to 1.5-pound packages that retail for upwards of $3,500 per pound, or about 10 to 15 per cent more than the other products.
"The whole Island Blue line comes in two-ounce to five-pound packages retailing from as low as $2,800 upwards," Minott said.
JSP has an "established presence" in the green bean market overseas and is now aiming to improve its standing in the value-added roasted segment, and is targeting "more international high-end speciality stores", for distribution of Island Blue, the GM said.
JSP was founded in 1942 by Leslie Minott. The company, based in Manchester, Mandeville, was taken over by John's father, Jackie Minott, in 1972.
JSP plants over 350 acres of coffee in both the Blue Mountains and high mountain ranges in Jamaica.
The company currently markets its products to Canada, the United States, China, the United Kingdom and the Caribbean.
Wallenford is seriously good....aint cheap.. 50 US dollars plus a pound upt o 120 US dollar .... So how could a government run a company at a loss ?????
I believe John Minott was a fellow schooler.. Rich D....Class of 80
Minott Develops Own Coffee Brand, Drops Wallenford
Published: Thursday | April 17, 20140 Comments
The old Wallenford Blue coffee sold by Jamaica Standard Products Company sits at left in a basket of other products. - File
Jamaica Standard Products Company Limited (JSP) has rebranded its former Wallenford Blue coffee products to Island Blue at a cost of $20 million and is now exploring new sales strategy to grow business.
General Manager John Minott said export sales of the company's products average 40 per cent, with local sales leading the charge.
With the investment in the development of its own branded identity, which follows the sale of Wallenford Coffee Company, JSP aims to increase its online sales which it currently executes through a third party.
"The fact that we have established our own brand, we expect it to do well," Minott said, noting that marketing had been a concern when it shared the Wallenford brand.
Wallenford Coffee Company was previously owned by the Government of Jamaica, through the Coffee Industry Board, but was a lossmaker for the State. It was divested it to Lee Chin's AIC International Investments Limited (AIIL) in a deal worth US$39.5 million, or about J$4 billion, last year.
"Previously, there was some amount of similarity between two entities with the name. The name may have presented some confusion in the marketplace. It sure will avoid some of the confusion which existed before since people have come to know that we are the ones that produced it," said Minott.
"We had a licensing arrangement with the Coffee Industry Board that allowed us to use the name," he said, noting the appeal of the authentic geographic location for which the brand was named.
similar packaging
Island Blue hit the shelves on April 1, with packaging that is similar to the previous brand.
"The logo and the look of the product was always ours," he said.
The product now bears sharper colours but maintains the image of a woman from the islands sipping coffee.
Island Blue is targeted at the company's current overseas markets. The rebranding was informed by market research based "primarily on tourists" shopping at the company's five retail stores.
"The biggest impact we would expect to come from the name change would come from the foreigners rather than the locals," said the JSP general manager
"We did some in-store checks with the buyers of the products and one or two supermarkets locally. Most of the research was done in the outlets that cater to tourists," he said.
With approximately 300,000 pounds of green and roasted coffee produced annually, JSP distributes its products through its five shops on the north coast, as well as through other gift shops and supermarkets.
A roasted peaberry bean product has also been added to the company's product line in 0.5-pound to 1.5-pound packages that retail for upwards of $3,500 per pound, or about 10 to 15 per cent more than the other products.
"The whole Island Blue line comes in two-ounce to five-pound packages retailing from as low as $2,800 upwards," Minott said.
JSP has an "established presence" in the green bean market overseas and is now aiming to improve its standing in the value-added roasted segment, and is targeting "more international high-end speciality stores", for distribution of Island Blue, the GM said.
JSP was founded in 1942 by Leslie Minott. The company, based in Manchester, Mandeville, was taken over by John's father, Jackie Minott, in 1972.
JSP plants over 350 acres of coffee in both the Blue Mountains and high mountain ranges in Jamaica.
The company currently markets its products to Canada, the United States, China, the United Kingdom and the Caribbean.
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