Growth & Jobs | Fledgling entrepreneur ventures into pepper jelly market

Operating a product-oriented business is, arguably, not always an easy undertaking, particularly if one is a young fledgling entrepreneur.

However, 25-year-old chef Lucian Dunn, was intent on defying the odds in this regard when he took a gamble two years ago and ventured into entrepreneurship.

This decision proved to be a good one as his product line – Mosaic Foods Pepper Jelly –has been yielding significant dividends.

Pivotal to the enterprising entrepreneur’s endeavour was his leveraging of the Scientific Research Council’s services, which enabled him to keep production costs low.

Dunn’s business venture evolved after the pepper jelly supplier for the popular Jamaican restaurant where he is employed, Uncorked, ceased manufacturing the product, which the establishment uses to make sauces and to season meats.

He said that when the restaurant was unable to source the product, “I decided to make a batch and [take] it to work.”

“I knew that I could make this jelly from scratch, but because it is a very time-consuming and complicated process, no one believed that I could,” the young chef said.

He said that after his colleagues and members of management sampled his creation, “everyone was shocked as they realised that my pepper jelly tasted better [than the former supplier’s]”.

Dunn says he was asked to commence supplying the restaurant chain with the product, “and that is how Mosaic Foods Pepper Jelly was born”.

He noted, however, that as the restaurant expanded and the demand for the product grew, he encountered challenges in his bid to manufacture larger quantities.

“That’s when I realised I needed help to grow and further develop my [venture] so [that] I could officially turn it into a business and keep up with the demand,” he pointed out.

Dunn says he first contacted the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) to get information about product labelling and certification and to ensure that the condiment met the stipulated criteria for consumption.

He recounts that following the BSJ’s inspection exercise, he was referred to the Scientific Research Council (SRC) to get additional help with business development and production.

“Working with the SRC was a huge game-changer for Mosaic Foods Pepper Jelly. The SRC allowed me to steadily meet my customers’ needs and improve upon my service delivery at a very reasonable cost,” he said.

The SRC is an agency of the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology with responsibility for new product development, utilising science, technology, and innovation. As part of its service offerings, the agency has been facilitating several initiatives to strengthen institutions within the micro, small, and medium enterprises sector. It facilitates the production of a range of items in the food, personal care, cosmetics, and agro-processing categories. These include sauces, beverages, jams, jellies, lotions, body butter, smoked meats, teas, and seasonings.

Training

The agency also facilitates training in good manufacturing practices, canning and food preservation.

“The SRC helped me with the formulation of my recipe. It needed to be tweaked to have a longer shelf life and to meet some other intricate scientific [requirements],” Dunn explained pointing out that while the process was “very detailed”, it was not lengthy.

“From the time that I went to them with my original recipe to the time that I got the scientific recipe was a short two-week turnaround. Then once I received the improved recipe, I scheduled an available date, and they started manufacturing my product. They produce the jelly based on request. They do all my manufacturing and packaging, and I simply just pick up [the condiment] and distribute it,” he added.

Dunn advises, however, that business has been slowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“So what I do now is to request a large enough batch to serve the customers I have currently. My product now has a shelf life of one year. Initially, I started out selling the product by the gallon to restaurants. However, I’ve recently started also selling it by the jar, thanks to packaging from the SRC,” he shared while expressing the hope that Mosaic Foods Pepper Jelly would be on supermarket shelves by year end.