The success of Grace Agro Processors (GAP) is built on the existence of a reliable supply chain, which forms the backbone for delivering products to the market. The relationship between the company and its supply chain have been perfected over the last five (5) years through strong relationship management & consistent collaboration to develop reliable clusters of small farmers with the technical know-how to deliver at the company’s required quality.
The relationship is built around formal supply contracts specifying volumes, quality and price. Through the Supply Chain Management System, GAP continues to actively streamline the business’ supply-side activities in order to maximize customer value and gain competitive advantage in its export and local markets.
This project was designed to maximise capacity in the GAP supply chain to facilitate the production of raw materials for its new 60,000 sq ft food processing plant at Denbigh Clarendon to meet demand.
The project involved the establishment of indigenous produce being tree, tuber and herb/spice crops to provide the raw materials required by GK Foods for its canned/frozen foods and seasoning business for the export market. This project adopted a less traditional approach to the production of multiple crops by employing intercropping techniques, best practices in farming, mechanization & a scientific approach to the opening of ackees as a precursor to processing.
Success was measured in yields, quality and efficiency. To ensure these metrics are maximized the farmers were provided with extensive training in the production of the required crops, provision of agronomic inputs and technical support in addition to mechanization support to improve efficiencies.
Goals & Objectives of the Project
The overarching project objectives are detailed below:
- Revenue generation of over J$890M
- Establishing a foundation for the sustainability of the ackee industry through:
- Creation of a centrally located facility appropriately equipped to foster the safe opening of ackees with substantially reduced spoilage from the existing (70 -30)% to a maximum of 10%
- Import substitution of jerk sauce inputs through:
- Establishment of an additional 50 acres of various spice crops required to make Jerk seasoning utilizing best practices and mechanisation for improved efficiency.
- Entry into the frozen produce market with unfulfilled demand of 200MT of yams and demand for 3500MT of yucca, through
- Creation of over 200 new jobs
Results of the Project
- Reduction in spoilage of ackees for processing down to 5 – 10%
- Execution of the procedures and best practices in the planting and establishment of the specified crops
- Nutrition program developed
- Ackee orchards established
- Acres of minisett yams, yucca, herb crop planted
- Improved fertilizer distributed
- In excess quadrupled herbs (MT) reaped

