By Damion Mitchell, Staff Reporter
Marlon Cherrington, supervisor at the Moy Hall Coffee Factory, inspecting coffee berries in first stage of processing. - Michael Sloley /Freelance Photographer
IN 1997, BANKRUPTCY halted operations at the Moy Hall Coffee Factory in Cedar Valley, St. Thomas.
Unemployment levels rose, coffee production declined and farmers, who endeavoured to continue the tradition of cultivating the world famous berry from the Blue Mountains, were left with little or no markets for their harvest.
The situation was becoming unbearable and a quick solution was needed. To the rescue, came a group of farmers who decided to resuscitate operations at the factory. Stakeholders welcomed their decision and in March 1998, at an annual general meeting, a new board was elected to run the Blue Mountain Coffee Co-operative Ltd., Moy Hall.
ACT OF KINDNESS
Operating with a deficit of $50 million and with no funds in reserve, members of the new board requested that coffee farmers donate their first crop to the co-operative to which they complied. That one act of kindness was enough to get the co-operative on its feet again and at the end of the first crop they produced 8,300 boxes of coffee. For the 1999/2000 season, 27,000 boxes were realised and 42,000 boxes for the crop ending last year.
Rupert Scott heads the board of management at the Blue Mountain Co-operative Society Ltd., Moy Hall.
"It's amazing as to how this co-operative has come back between 1998 and 2003," he said in an interview with The Gleaner. According to Mr. Scott, the co-operative is probably the only entity in the country to have recovered from bankruptcy totally on its own. With four months to go for the end of crop as at April 14, the production figure for the 2002-2003 season was 35,800 boxes.
The Moy Hall Factory was established in 1951 with the late William Henry as the co-operative's first chairman. Currently, 120 persons are employed by the factory, 80 per cent of whom are women.
Last year, the co-operative benefited from the Eastern Jamaica Agriculture Support Project funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and the European Union to the tune of $12 million. Under the programme, a barbecue, which is used for the drying of the coffee berry, was constructed. Also, a coffee rehabilitation programme to benefit women and youth was instituted, and a fertiliser and Berry Borer Control programme undertaken.
Among the other achievements of the co-operative for the five-year period are the settling of an export contract with its Japan buyers and the expansion of markets to England and the United States.
The co-operative has plans to increase exports of green coffee beans in the coming years, and to undertake infrastructure development at the factory. This, in a bid to increase storage and drying facilities Mr. Scott said. As of September, the co-operative will be offering two scholarships for young farmers in the community.
LONG-TERM PLANS
From 1998 to 2001, 75 per cent of the coffee produced at the factory was exported and the remainder consumed locally. Mr. Scott said it was hoped that in the long term the factory would be able to roast and grind coffee to supply the local market. With this plan comes the establishing of a bio digester to generate electricity at the factory.
Meantime, Mr. Scott, who praised farmers who supply coffee to the factory, remains confident that even amidst the challenges in the agriculture sector, there are better days ahead for the Blue Mountain Co-operative Society Ltd, Moy Hall.
