Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, has announced a new competition for creative entrepreneurs as part of the 6th annual Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival.

The Coffee Innovation Competition, organized by the Ministry of Tourism through the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), aims to stimulate the local economy and promote interest in Jamaica’s world-famous Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee.

“With this competition, we aim to showcase our country’s unique and diverse coffee culture by encouraging creativity and innovation in product development,” said Bartlett.

Competitors can enter under categories such as arts and crafts, beauty and wellness, and more. Creativity, originality, and presentation will be taken into consideration to determine the winner. Entrants are required to submit an engaging 60-second video explaining their creation to [email protected], and these entries will be posted on the festival’s Instagram page (@jamaicacoffeefest).

“The Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Innovation Competition seeks to find entrepreneurs with innovative products and processes that may ultimately aid in driving the growth of our coffee industry,” said Dr Carey Wallace, TEF’s Executive Director.

Followers of the Instagram page will have a chance to vote for their favourite entry by liking the respective posts. The deadline to vote is 4:00 p.m. on March 10th, 2023, when the top 5 finalists will be announced.

The entry with the most likes shall win exciting prizes such as gift baskets, gift certificates, and business opportunities, including a prominent feature in TEF’s Christmas in July Trade Show’s catalogue, as well as an opportunity to debut their product at the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival.

“It is an exciting opportunity to showcase your creativity and make an impact on the industry. It can also help you gain valuable connections and visibility while providing you with invaluable feedback on how to refine and improve your work,” he continued.

The Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival will take place on March 25, 2023, in the hills of the world-renowned Blue Mountains on the historic Newcastle parade grounds. The festival, organized by the Tourism Linkages Network, is designed as Jamaica’s flagship coffee experience, showcasing a range of coffee purveyors, local manufacturers, artisans, food tastings, cooking demonstrations, live entertainment, baristas, mixologists, and more.