Since February 2020, Baruch (Ba-Ruk) Distributors has been supplying farmers islandwide with veterinary pharmaceuticals, animal care and livestock preservation products, specialising in a herbal line of products that are compliant with the global attempts to minimize the use of antibiotics in livestock.

Baruch’s is the first company to offer farm grade, herbal line of products in Jamaica and their exclusive line of products are imported from Europe, South America, India and are all approved for distribution by the ministries of Health and Agriculture and can be found in close to 300 farm stores across the country.

Vanessa Chatrie, Baruch founder and managing director, shared with Our Today the origins of her business.

Chatrie grew up in Kellits, Clarendon, the daughter of a farmer and farm store owner. She developed a passion for animals when she was a child and, over time, this passion grew into wanting to help small farmers.

“My heart goes out to farmers going through it when their chicks or goats or pigs die – I want to make sure that the return on investment [for farmers] is high and I love that – I love helping,” said Chatrie.

Chatrie studied pharmacology with a specialisation in veterinary pharmacology at the University of Technology in St Andrew, and after completing her degree, practised in the industry for more than 10 years.

She was spurred to open her own business after receiving a prophecy from prophetess Deborah Elvey – “God said get your house in order, because there’s a shift in your life. God has anointed you for business.”

Chatrie, devout in her faith, then used her divine calling, skills and connections made throughout her years in the industry to broker exclusive deals with various manufacturers, and registered her business.

She named the company Baruch, which means ‘blessed and fortunate’ in Hebrew, and since launching her business, has quickly become one of the go-to names for providers of animal care and livestock preservation vitamins, minerals, disinfectants, antibiotics and a herbal line of products.

They have also become a regular at Agricultural shows across the country including the Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show, Montpelier Agricultural Show and Minard Livestock and Beef Show.

“I want to be the best at what I do, and I can see Baruch becoming #1 on the market in the near future and expanding further into stores throughout the Caribbean,” said Chatrie, when asked about her plans for the company.

Baruch now has a walk-in store in Bog Walk, St Catherine, where customers in the area can purchase products in person or request delivery within the surrounding community.