Durrant Pate/Contributor

Following a brief pause in the latter part of 2025, Jamaica Teas Limited has now resumed export of its Sazón seasoning to the United States.

Production and shipments to the US of the product resumed last month, while orders from its eastern Caribbean customers have remained strong. The pause was primarily attributable to, among other things, the cancellation of orders due to overstocking at one of its American distributors.

With the resumption of exports of this product, JTL is seeing encouraging signs of the sales momentum continuing. As such, the company expects to enjoy higher income and profit during the rest of this year, in spite of the fact that the performance for the first quarter ended December 2025, reflected both notable successes and temporary setbacks.

Overall, export sales declined by $100 million year-over-year.

“However, early signs in the second quarter point to recovery with encouraging improvements across key markets. Management remains optimistic that the trajectory will strengthen over the remainder of the fiscal year, barring unforeseen circumstances,” company chairman John Jackson and CEO John Mahfood advised shareholders in their forward to the December 2025 quarterly report.

Notable successes and temporary setbacks

The Q1 performance reflected both notable successes and temporary setbacks, where in the Caribbean market export sales recorded robust growth, underscoring the region’s importance as a driver of expansion. In the supermarket division of the JTL group, domestic operations delivered strong sales momentum, reinforcing the company’s core market strength.

In the US market, the results were mixed. 

While underlying demand remained positive, sales were impacted by external factors, including damage to a distributor’s warehouse and the cancellation of orders for its leading Sazón seasoning.

Divisional performances

Manufacturing division

As a result of Hurricane Melissa, the manufacturing division lost approximately one week of production and shipments during the quarter. Fortunately, we suffered no damage to the Temple Hall factory and no injury to staff during the hurricane. Notwithstanding, the local manufacturing sales for the quarter rose eight per cent over the prior year period. 

Real estate division

Three studio sales were booked in the quarter compared to a year ago. In January 2026, more sales were booked, and some sales contracts are in the process of being signed but are not yet finalised. 

As a result, about seven units remain. Indications are that all these units could be sold or placed under contract over the next three quarters. 

Retail division

For this quarter, retail revenues amounted to J$254 million, an increase of 16 per cent. Despite this sales increase, retailing profits actually went down by J$4.7 million due to higher payroll, repair and maintenance and security costs at its store. 

Investment division

During the quarter, equity markets delivered mixed results. The Jamaica Stock Exchange experienced modest declines, while US exchanges posted gains. This divergence led to some positive returns from overseas holdings; however, these were outweighed by unrealised losses in the local portfolio.

As a result, QWI Investments Limited (QWI) reported a net loss of J$41 million for the quarter, compared to a net loss of $6 million in the same period last year — a downturn year-over-year.

Looking ahead, JTL management reports, “market conditions are expected to remain unsettled in the near term, and management continues to monitor both domestic and international developments closely to navigate volatility and protect long-term shareholder value.”