Standing Together: Salada packs over 600 packages for affected farming communities

Salada Foods General Manager Tamii Brown (right) greets the mini packing line of Jebb Memorial Basic School students at Salada Foods headquarters on Bell Road. Looking on is  Jebb Memorial Basic School Principal Leonie Salmon Wong-Sue.

Over 40 staff volunteered to pack more than 600 care packages for farming communities impacted by the passage of Hurricane Melissa at the Salada Foods headquarters in Kingston.

The initiative, hosted on Friday December 19, closed out the 2025 production year at the Company’s Bell Road manufacturing plant.

Salada Foods General Manager Tamii Brown led the team of volunteers, which included teachers and students of the manufacturer’s adopted school, Jebb Memorial Basic School.

Salada Foods Jamaica Marketing Executive Kerrine Tulloch instructs students for Jebb Memorial Basic School as they form a mini packing line at Salada Foods headquarters on Bell Road. Looking on is their teacher Verona Stephens.

“Salada exists within an ecosystem, one that feeds and is fed by a tight-knit circle of people, communities and partners. Our farmers are a vital part of that ecosystem; when they hurt, we hurt too. These care packages reflect that shared connection and our deep commitment to supporting farmers, families and neighbours, particularly during challenging times,” Brown explained.

The care packages were stocked with essential food and hygiene items. Each package also included the Company’s newly launched sorrel hibiscus beverage, a traditional Jamaican drink introduced by Salada in November 2025.

Salada Foods General Manager Tamii Brown listens as Honourable Floyd Green, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Mining gives encouragement to the staff at Salada’s Bell Road headquarters in Kingston. The staff volunteered time to prepare food and care packages for farmers in communities across western Jamaica on Friday, December 19, 2025.

The students from Jebb Memorial were among the volunteers who prepared the packages for delivery to the farming communities across St Elizabeth. The Honourable Floyd Green, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Mining visited the Company during the packing session.

“I appreciate Salada and the intervention, especially as we approach the Christmas season. A number of our farmers are back out there [on the farms], but remain in very difficult circumstances. This does take a big burden off of them to have these items to carry them through the season,” Minister Green said.

Gems Awarded

The relief packing activity replaced Salada’s traditional end-of-year staff party, as the impact of Hurricane Melissa underscored the urgent need for practical support for farming communities. While the Company turned its focus outward to respond to that need, it did not lose sight of the importance of recognising and celebrating its people after a demanding year.

Salada Foods Jamaica Limited Gem Awards winners (from left): Akeele Johnson; Karimah Shepherd; Richard Thomas; Nadine Francis, collecting on behalf of Duane Taylor; and Peter Collins.

Later in the day, Salada turned inward to honour staff excellence with the presentation of its departmental ‘Gem Awards’. The awardees were: Akeele Johnson from Warehouse; Duane Taylor from Sanitation; Anthony Anglin from Production; Peter Collins from Engineering and Maintenance; Richard Thomas from Accounts; and Karimah Shepherd from Quality and Laboratory.

“Our Gems have shown exceptional hard work, dedication and a willingness to go above and beyond this year. They truly exemplify what it means to be a member of Team Salada,” Brown shared.