Patrons from across the island flocked to the historic Newcastle Parade Grounds, in St Andrew on Saturday (March 25) for the sixth annual Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival.

The event, held last year at Devon House in Kingston, returned to its picturesque home, providing patrons with the ambience and inspiration of all things Blue Mountain coffee.

Scores of coffee lovers, both locally and internationally, were shuttled from the University of Technology (UTech) to the festival grounds, where they interacted with exhibitors and artisans while enjoying a vibrant entertainment package.

Not to miss out on any of the fun were the mother-daughter duo, Venora and Yannic Fletcher, who were attending the festival for the first time.

For Yannic, it was a no-brainer to attend the “highly publicised and anticipated event” with her mom.

“We wanted to be a part of it and we thought that it was a very well-executed and planned event… the Tourism Enhancement Fund must be commended and all the organisers behind this event,” she said.

As for Venora: “I would never miss an opportunity to be in the cool climes of the hills. The festival promised a lot, the exposure of coffee and coffee-related products. I just wanted to come and see what’s available.”

Another first-timer was Velmore Lawrence. “The biggest pull for me to this event is that coffee is one of Jamaica’s proudest products. The fact that we can have a festival around this product, I think it’s wonderful,”  she said.

“When you talk about gastronomy being an added dimension to Jamaica’s offerings… the Tourism Enhancement Fund, as well as the Ministry of Tourism, should be commended for the initiative, because we can only benefit from an experience like this,” the coffee lover added.

In addition to the locals who turned out to enjoy the festival, many persons from other countries flew into Jamaica specifically for the event, and Hyline Alexis of the United Kingdom is one such.

“I came here with my husband, who is Jamaican, and we came here specially for the festival,” she said.

“I heard so much about the Blue Mountain Coffee because of our English late queen who used to drink it a lot, I hear, so I thought, ‘come let us see what it’s about’,” Alexis explained.

Noting that her expectations were met and that the day was “very good”, she said: “I’ve been tasting everything; I am not missing out on anything. It lived up to what I thought the coffee would be, and it’s nice to see that people are letting you sample their goods. I made some purchases, which is good as well, so it’s a nice experience.”

To sample the coffee, enjoy the hills or partake in a truly Jamaican moment are among the list of reasons many patrons say they decided to attend the event, but for Wayne Smith and company, the festival was the best idea to help celebrate a birthday.

The Kingston resident disclosed that his friend’s birthday was the Tuesday before the festival, “so we chose this occasion to celebrate it, instead of having a party.”

“I’ve always enjoyed going up in the hills of Newcastle, so that was a part of the experience, and then coffee, good friends, fellowship and the entertainment package with Etana at the end of the day,” Smith pointed out.

Like many other patrons, he said that the location of the festival this year created the perfect ambience.

“This is the right place. This is where coffee is from and it’s very scenic. It’s nice to get out of the city and come to the hills for enjoyment,” he added.

The day would not have been complete without the address and tour by Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism.

 In his remarks, the minister hailed coffee as a signature product of Jamaica and said that the purpose of a coffee festival “is really [to be] an arena to showcase the culinary delights of this great cultural product of Jamaica

“Coffee is a statement of  ‘Jamaicanism’. There is nowhere in the world that you have Blue Mountain Coffee but Jamaica. So, in order to experience it, you have to come to Jamaica,” Bartlett said.

The Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee festival was made possible by the Ministry of Tourism, Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), Tourism Enhancement Fund, Tourism Linkages Network, Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB).