Jamaica Cold Press Juice is the leading manufacturer and distributor of cold-pressed cane juice in the Caribbean, owned by British-Jamaican Toussaint Davy, who has been offering up a healthier alternative to the processed high sugar content juices available on the market. Having spent decades in the publishing and telecoms industry, Davy permanently moved to Jamaica in 2018.
A bit of a maverick, Davy created a distinctive formula of cold-pressed cane juice packed with a punch of antioxidants and immune-boosting benefits by infusing local market flavours such as turmeric, tamarind, soursop and beetroot among many other seasonal favourites– carving out a niche in the beverage category.
In 2012, Davy started cold-pressing cane juice and discovered how much people enjoyed drinking the combination of refreshing and sweet taste and its long-term health benefits.
“I had a simple idea and slowly everyone started to catch on. I started at a market stall on Brixton Station Road in London. Back then everyone thought I was crazy – importing cane at considerable cost from Jamaica and juicing it with a modified iron clothes mangle! But the customers kept coming. Soon, I was being asked to attend events such as the Notting Hill Carnival. With a growing corporate list including the Royal Academy, the Capital Hills Hotel Group, Hilton Hotels, local government associations, and Google UK among others, I knew I was onto something world-class and unique.”
Similar to his namesake Toussaint L’Overture, the military leader responsible for the successful revolt of the enslaved in Haiti in 1791, Davy wants to change the juice industry. “After selling different Jamaican commodities: mainly our world-renowned Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee and Maypan coconuts – I realized I want to give a nod to my ancestors by revolutionizing the juice market. Being of Jamaican heritage, the negative association with the sugar industry, and its ties to slavery made me want to transform a problematic past into a positive future for generations to come. I have an overriding desire to destigmatize a plant that is integral to our past, is a part of our present, and could well play an important part in our future,” he reasons.
A history graduate of the London School of Economics, Davy spent many years studying the history of the slave trade, sugar, and how it affected the Caribbean, its legacy, and its generational effects from the eighteenth century to the present day.
“Make no mistake, our African ancestors came to the Caribbean under horrific conditions and often worked for eighteen hours a day, six days a week in the blistering sun, planting and reaping the sugar cane. They would have to carry it on their backs to mills where the juice was extracted,” he explains.
As a youngster, he fondly remembers enjoying cutting and eating raw sugarcane during vacation on his family’s land in Top Hill, St. Thomas.
After selling cane juice at events in the United Kingdom for seven years as a side hustle he decided to take his business ‘back home’ by moving to Jamaica to develop the alternative sugarcane industry and its byproducts for export.
Since then Jamaica Cold Pressed Juices has distributed cold-pressed cane juice to supermarkets island-wide and wellness establishments in the Kingston corporate area with an eye to expanding fully across the rest of the island. A subscription service is also afforded to loyal customers who stock up regularly.
“Sugarcane has loads of health benefits. As an unrefined and complex sugar, it’s said – in moderation – to not spike insulin levels in Type 2 diabetics. It’s the best God-given substitute for processed sugar. As the Greeks reputedly said, sugarcane is “the reed that produces honey without bees,” remembers the history graduate.
He states, “My customers understand the benefits of drinking my formula of cold-pressed cane juice. Added to that a new blend containing turmeric aka The Wellness Booster, for these pandemic times and we’ve also seen an uptick in sales on Etsy and Amazon. Globally people are more aware of what they are consuming and are looking for healthier options over artificial sodas and juices with high sugar content and preservatives.”
“There is so much room for growth and development here in Jamaica and I’ve been working steadily over the past few years to build up Jamaica Cold Presed Juices’ distribution and marketing channels. The pandemic hasn’t deterred my growth. Work is hard but no work is harder. It has just allowed me to focus more on expanding the market share. If Jamaicans fully appreciated the commercial power of ‘Brand Jamaica’ internationally, the realisation would be transformative for the many, not just a few,” he says.
About Jamaica Cold Press Juice’s Chief Juicing Officer
British-Jamaican Toussaint Davy is a London School of Economics and Birkbeck College, University of London graduate who started his career as a financial business analyst in the UK’s biggest water utilities company. He then spent over 15 years as a music magazine editor and publisher interviewing everyone from Beyonce to Jay-Z for corporate clients such as the BBC, the MOBO Organisation, and the Prince’s Trust. He transitioned to the telecoms industry in 2006 as a digital content and business development specialist for companies such as Vodafone and 3 Mobile before leaving corporate life to set up JamaicaDeli in 2012. He is now the Chief Juicing Officer of Jamaica Cold Press Juices with HQ in Downtown Kingston.
Jamaica Cold Press Cane Juices are sold in select HiLo Food Stores and Progressive Grocers supermarkets island-wide. Internationally sold on Amazon.com and Etsy platforms. Search ‘Jamaica Delicatessen’. To learn more, follow @jamaicacoldpress on IG.
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