Coffee lovers, both locally and internationally, can mark Saturday, March 25, 2023 on their calendars as the date when the highly anticipated Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival will make its grand return.
The sixth staging of the annual event was launched on 9 January 2023 at Devon House, in Kingston, and is set to take place at its traditional home – Newcastle, St. Andrew.
For this year, patrons can expect to be treated to the usual abundance of food, coffee and culture, as well as a roster of activities that include a farmers’ day/festival marketplace, a barista competition, coffee panel discussions, and a mixologist competition to create signature Jamaica coffee cocktails.
In addition, there will be a month-long celebration of the Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee, as well as visits to the attractions along the Blue Mountains, the promotion of coffee farm tours and a showcase of the cafes along the Jamaica Blue Mountain culinary trail.
Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, addressing the launch event, declared: “We’re coming back with a bang this year; a stronger, better, more exciting, more alluring, and a more all-embracing coffee festival.”
Dubbing the event as “a commercial idea with a value”, the Minister challenged private-sector investors to “come on board now” and invest in the festival.
“The private sector is the engine of growth. Government is about facilitation of that growth process. We want all to come together; let’s make this a signature event that invites the world to Jamaica every year,” Mr. Bartlett charged.
The Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival is made possible by the Ministry of Tourism, Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), Tourism Enhancement Fund, Tourism Linkages Network, Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB).