Michael Lee-Chin, chairman of Mavis Bank Coffee Factory Limited and Wallenford Coffee Company Limited, has congratulated Dr Norman Grant on completing his doctoral studies in organisational leadership and international business at Walden University, following four years of study.

Grant, managing director and CEO of Mavis Bank Coffee Factory Limited and Wallenford Coffee Company Limited, defended his doctoral dissertation research on June 19, on the topic ‘Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Farmers’ Effective Strategies for Achieving Profitability‘.

The Walden University board of directors, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, conferred the degree of Doctor of Business Administration on June 29.

Lee-Chin said this accomplishment is well-deserved, which is matched by Grant’s great personality, excellent work ethic, brilliance, and effervescent, buoyant, positive attitude.

He congratulated Grant as a great role model for all, including his children, as well as members of the Mavis Bank Coffee Factory/Wallenford Coffee Company, and the wider agricultural sector.

Grant is a chartered accountant by profession and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica and England (fellow status). A former senator, Dr Grant served for 15 years as an opposition and government senator for the People’s National Party (PNP) under the leadership of PJ Patterson and Portia Simpson-Miller from 2001 to 2016.

He is a practising member of the Association of Accounting Technicians, London (Fellow Status) and a member of the Association of Public Accountants in Jamaica.

He was educated at Mt. Fletcher All Age School, Jamaica College, and Duff’s Business College, where he holds a diploma in management and accounting, as well as executive development skills. He became a chartered Accountant in December 1997.

He attended the Institute of Management and Production (IMP), the Accounting Consortium of Jamaica, and the University of Manchester and Wales, where he completed his Master’s degree in business administration, majoring in international business strategy, bank financial management, and HR management, and minoring in marketing. The MBA was completed in June 2002. 

For the past 41 years, he has been employed at the Mavis Bank Coffee Factory Limited, the current owner of the MBCF, Jablum, Wallenford and True Brew brands. Since July 1983, he has held several positions, including financial controller and operations and quality assurance manager. He is the managing director and CEO and has been serving in that capacity for the past 12 years.

He is also a distinguished Certified International Coffee Cup Taster and Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) Q-Grader, only the fourth Jamaican to attain this certification, with over 40 years of experience in processing, producing, exporting, and marketing Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee and over 40 years of cup tasting of coffee globally. He has cupped coffee in almost every country of origin globally.

Grant served as president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society between 2003 and 2009 and again from 2012 to 2018. He also served as president of the Kingston and St. Andrew Association of Branch Societies of the JAS between 1992 and 2018.

He served as chairman of the Jamaica 4H Clubs board of management for 10 years, is the immediate past president of the Caribbean 4H Council, and is vice chairman of the Global 4H Network Board of Directors. He has also been chairman of the Caribbean Farmers Network (CaFAN) from February 2005 to 2018.