Entrepreneur and creative culinarian are a few terms that readily describe first-time Expo Jamaica exhibitor, Sonya Dunstan, founder and owner of A Taste of the Caribbean Ltd. Giving attendees just that, Dunstan was one of more than 50 local SMEs showcasing at the Jamaica Emerging Manufacturers and Services (JEMS) Village - the Expo’s newest feature. Along with her were several other budding entrepreneurs from emerging sectors including agro-processing, nutraceuticals, cosmetics and beauty care, aromatherapy and spa products. Under the theme “Advancing Breakthroughs”, the 2018 staging of the Caribbean’s largest business and manufacturing exposition sought to highlight Jamaica’s innovative businesses that continue to advance the development of the nation. According to the organisers, capacity crowd at the National Indoor Sports Centre, and exhibitors like Dunstan, said the expo exceeded expectations. “The experience being at JMA Expo 2018 was extremely delightful, exciting, utopic, but most of all humbling,” she relates. “I was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful reception I got from customers who tasted and fell in love with our products. They actually bought from our wide selection of items, including our Sorrel Chutney, Fruity Pepper Jelly, Mango Jam, Guava, June Plum, Tamarind Sauces, Curry Powder, Jerk Seasoning, Jerk Sauce and Brown Stew Sauce.” she adds. Further describing the experience as “priceless” Dunstan says she received many confirmed orders from both local and international buyers. A Taste of the Caribbean Ltd opened its doors in 1999 with Dunstan at the helm. Producing from a factory plant in Yallahs, St. Thomas and an additional outlet at the Domes on Hagley Park Road in Kingston, the agro-processing company boasts more than 10 categories of speciality food items, made from 90 percent local ingredients. Though she has launched out into manufacturing Dunstan, explains that her roots are grounded in culinary arts and entrepreneurship. The almost 50-year-old says she started the business almost 20 years ago, producing specialty food products for upscale and boutique markets in Jamaica. Since then her company has evolved into a product research and development company, manufacturing for its own brands as well as other small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Today, A Taste of the Caribbean now offers its services to several businesses locally and abroad. But Dunstan predates her entrepreneurship passion to years before when she attended CAST, now the University of Technology. “We had a course we had to do, Entrepreneurial Skills, where I had to make a product and sell it on campus. I felt so independent and proud to work my own money,” she reminisces. However, later in life as she pursued a career in hospitality, Dunstan fell seriously ill, eventually losing sight in her left eye due to stress. This experience led to a a new path. “I decided on producing items for the Tourism Industry. The tourist needed authentic Jamaican-made products. So, I came up with a line confectionery product, jams, jellies and sauces. And the rest is history,” she says. But like any good success story, Dunstan’s is riddled with woes and trials. A woman of faith who is committed to overcoming adverse challenges, Dunstan has fought several battles in her life. Along with blindness, she had survived two heart attacks, and three robberies in one year. Even Expo Jamaica was almost an unrealised dream up to a week before the event. While others eagerly scrambled to find fabric, paint and other decor items, Dunstan was slowly losing hope as financial restraint sought to end her dream of participating in this highly-anticipated business symposium. A long standing business banker and customer of the National Commercial Bank (NCB), Dunstan approached her financial institution in hopes of getting assistance. Alas, NCB, Expo Jamaica’s chief financial partner and longtime proponent of nation-building through SME support made if possible for Dunstan to bring Jamaica to world. “They truly believe in what we SMEs are producing. NCB has given me the platform to excel and showcase my products to the world,” a grateful Dunstan says. With the goal of improving her own business within the scope of Jamaica’s growing agro-processing industry, Dunstan says she looks forward to more advances in the sector to her benefit and others who depend on her.