"Only the highest quality Jamaican coffee reaches the Japanese market" -  the sentiment of a Japanese delegation' after a recent visit to Jamaica.

Japan imports more than 80 percent of the coffee grown in Jamaica. Recently Japanese consumers have become more conscious about health and food safety, resulting from problems with Chinese food imports last year. 

After a recent visit by a 13 member Japanese delegation, President of the Japanese Ueshima Coffee Company (UCC), Tatsushi Ueshima, who is also a member of the Association of Japanese Importers of Jamaican Coffee (AJIJC) expressed satisfaction with the measures put in place by Jamaica’s Coffee Industry Board (CIB). 

He said that it was important that the AJIJC verify the operations of the CIB so that the Association can inform its consumers about the safety of the product. The delegation’s mandate was to see the facilities, examine the safety procedures and verify that the measures ensure the integrity and safety of the Jamaican Blue and High Mountain Coffee.   

Mr. Ueshima, who is also the Honorary Jamaican Consul in Kobe, Japan where his business is headquartered, noted that the two brands of coffee are among the most expensive in the world. He emphasized that the group was satisfied with the quality control measures, adding that the procedures would serve to “preserve and enhance Jamaican coffee” and expand its growth and distribution. The UCC head said that having seen the quality control facilities at the CIB and the laboratory facilities at the University of the West Indies, he and his team are convinced that Jamaican coffee is safe. 

CIB’s Director General, Christopher Gentles, noted that strict import regulations in its overseas markets, coupled with a determination by stakeholders to ensure that the Blue Mountain brand retains its high quality, have led to increased vigilance in all areas of production – from the farm to the cup.  

Mr. Ueshima said that he and his associates fully support the system and will waste no time in informing their consumers about what they have seen, as this, he noted, is important to ensure the continued success of the Blue Mountain brand. 

Source : www.jis.gov