Herboo is an example of a startup founded by a Here are a few tips to gather attraction for your
Jamaican. Kamla Williams, the co-founder of Herboo product:
Corporation Ltd, answered a critical question related
to how her company got its products into the
Jamaican market. The focus for the rest of this
article will be on Jamaican skin and hair care
products, a growing niche in Jamaica’s small business
Identify the ideal clients for your product
Position your product as the answer to their needs
Offer product testing. Provide sampling.
Get the word out. Use your social media sites
sector.
How easy was it to get your product on the market? The Jamaican Way: Avenues to Get Your
Products on the Market
It’s easy to develop a product, but whether the Jamaica’s number one product is food. However, we
product works or not is what determines the have a variety of other products that we offer as well.
manufacturer status and spike stores’ interest.“ If These
you use things that are familiar, for example a products, wellness and aromatherapy, products in the
familiar ingredient or things people know to work, creative industry, and minerals and metal products.
then they are more likely to take your product. Once Speaking at the 2018 commerce of the “Things
your product works and you can prove that it works, Jamaican” promotion, Hon. Audley Shaw implores gift
you have to do a lot of leg work to get people shops, mainly those at airports and tourist attraction
interested. to display Jamaican-made products.
We have a distribution agreement with Cari-Med. It is evident that Jamaican products are now growing
However, we had to show the credibility of our heavily in demand. Recent shifts in economic
product by getting it into at least 50 stores before structures and health and wellness concerns have led
they would consider our business proposals. They people to search for more organic and natural
wanted to know that people are willing to purchase products while becoming hands-on in the process of
our product. We had to convince them that people creating our own home-made products. These home-
will buy the product for them to take it and push it made products, if proven beneficial, are made
further. available to the public. However, there may be hick-
products
include
building
and
wooden
ups in getting the product on the shelves in stores, if
Access to Jamaican Products
you do not know where to go look no further.
Jamaican products are often right under our noses. Here is a list of 4 top Jamaican distributors that can
We often see people selling home-made products get your products off the ground:
from their homes, setting up shops in their
communities, and selling their products on the street 1 .The Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters
side. As word travels through the grapevines about Association (JMEA)
this product(s), we slowly develop and increase the The JMEA believes solely in promoting products
network of people who purchase it. The issue here,
however, is having the product as established
products in the Jamaican market. For your product to
be recognized on the Jamaican market, you first need
the support of your Jamaican brothers and sisters.
Issue �: January ����
produced by Jamaicans. In 2017, they launched an
initiative to get more products of Jamaican small
businesses on local shelves. The JMEA strongly
advocates for Jamaican-made products by our fellow
Jamaicans to get them established locally.
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