Best Eco Lodge In Jamaica Supports Local Sustainable Chocolate Cooperative

Homemade Chocolate Tea Balls are commonlyFather Martin found markets for the product in
found in all Jamaican homes, where grandmothershotels, craft and gift shops as well as
and mothers make them from harvested cocoasupermarkets and employed the services of a
beans that have been dried, and then ground withdistributor to cover the north coast area of the
other spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.island.
They are shaped into balls, dried and grated intoThe demand grew and the project was expanded
hot water with sugar, vanilla essence andto include the packaging of spices such as
sometimes a little orange rind to taste, delicious!pimento, nutmeg, kola nut (bissy), peppermint,
The objective of St Mary's Co-operative hascerasee and cinnamon leaves. He saw the
been to develop and market a value added spiceopportunity to plant, reap and dry spices to
processing cottage industry which would providesupplement the local women's household income
employment for the women in the area.and create employment for them; today 13
The project assists local farmers in thewomen are employed, many golden agers ,by the
surrounding communities with the procurement ofco-operative in Annotto Bay, a sleepy town on
seedlings, the leasing of farm lands and theJamaica's Noth coast about an hour's drive from
provision of technical support as well as findingPort Antonio.
markets for their produce.A collection of herbs such as Pimento &allspice,
Founded by Father Martin of St Mary's Catholicnutmeg and cinnamon leaves are packaged in
Church he engaged the services of Enith Bennett,straw baskets especially for the Hotel as another
a "golden ager" who had returned to Jamaicagift items that can be taken home by our guests
from oversees, to make Chocolate Tea balls inas gifts for their friend .
order to meet an order placed by an exporter.