A popular jerk and buffet eatery has launched a futuristic drive-thru option on Brunswick Avenue in Spanish Town facilitated by the business advice and acumen, as well as financing from the COK Sodality Co-operative Credit Union’s Portmore branch.

“When Jamaica was hit by Covid, I immediately started to brainstorm along with my father, the founder of the company and other team members about how we could make our products available safely and conveniently, reducing the wait time in long lines,” notes Junior Mason, the owner of the Jungle Fiah chain of jerk and buffet food restaurants based in Portmore and Spanish Town.

That need to pivot, combined with a requirement for funding, led Mason to COK in Portmore where he found a receptive ear in Branch Manager, Roger Lim-Sang: “We found the idea of a purpose-built drive thru exciting, something that will outlast any pandemic, as more Jamaicans acquire mobility and gain an appreciation for greater speed and convenience. The Jungle Fiah brand had already achieved an enviable reputation for great taste, quality and service and we were eager to partner with them in making the dream resturant a reality,” Lim-Sang states.

Lim-Sang notes further that the sound business concept and the fact that COK was able to utilise a property as security made for a great alliance. They were also impressed by the businesses forward thinking plans, including offering franchises to grow it from the current five St. Catherine locations, three of which are based in Portmore.

Explaining how the idea was transformed from concept to actuality, Mason said he turned to a trusted friend and advisor who produced a 3-D rendering of the resturant which has two windows, one each for serving and cash collection which patrons access by driving up. The approximate serving time is seven minutes after placing the order.

“We really worked hard and smart at designing a space that could facilitate multiple customers,” Mason notes, adding that the support from COK was critical to launching the Jungle Fiah Jerk Hub in the old capital.  

Asked whether Spanish Town’s problems with violence and crime were a deterrent, Mason notes that there had been a massive improvement in recent times and close collaboration with the security forces, citizens and government officials had made an enormous improvement in the town for doing business generally.

“My father Franklyn Mason (Snr.) started this business from a single jerk pan and through hard work and reinvesting in the business we have grown to where we are now,” he explains.

The COK business window has grown significantly in recent years and includes a training programme in entrepreneurship and business management offered in partnership with the HEART Trust – NTA.

COK members whose businesses are categorised as medium, small or micro enterprises are eligible to participate in the programme while securing funding.

 COK Marketing Manager, Larry Johnson observes that “assisting our members to grow and manage their businesses effectively enhances the quality of our operations. We don’t just lend them money and leave them to sink or swim, but we hold their hands because when they win we all win and as they become better business managers, they also become more responsible borrowers, creating true value for Jamaica.”

 “The goal is to move from being informal businesses, as some are, to be legitimate fully established enterprises, increasing employment, empowering their families and contributing to the economy in a real way,” Johnson observes.

As an Aproved Financial institution (AFI), COK can provide, through DBJ, non-traditional collateral and provide coverage based on the borrowers character and the projected future cash flow of the business for loans up to $30 million.