10/22/2019
In the hills of the Maryland, Hanover, 22-year old Oran Davidson produces, packages and distributes his own line of Honey, Chocolate and Pimento under his company, Davidson’s Imperial. Five years in the making, Oran has been able to expand his Company through his involvement with the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), the Rural Agricultural Development Agency (RADA) and the 4H Club.
Groomed into Agriculture by his parents, Oran spent majority of childhood mastering his trade in Bee Production, which he learnt from his father, and making chocolate from his mother. By the crack of dawn, Oran and his father journeyed to the family’s farm of yam, banana and other ground provisions, and ended the day on his father’s bee farm. The family’s well-rounded involvement in Agriculture provided Oran with years of experience, while still a child.
After the death of father in 2013, Oran, at the age of 16, while attending the Cornwall College High School, had to assume the responsibility of his father’s honey business, Jamaica Imperial. While in the 10th grade, Oran had to manage over 100 colonies of bees, bottle and distribute honey to supermarkets as his father did. While balancing school and his father’s business, Oran began developing a business plan which involved renaming his father’s business to Davidson’s Imperial, and expanding his offerings to include chocolate and pimento.
After completing his secondary education, Oran enrolled in the Rural Youth Economic Empowerment Programme (RYEEP), an entrepreneurial training programme organized by the 4H Club. Subsequent to completing the RYEEP programme, Oran received a grant from the 4H Club, which assisted with purchasing equipment to make his chocolate. Before acquiring the equipment, Oran and his mother would beat coca beans in a hollowed wooden bin and a heavy stick.
Oran, along with his staff of three, distributes to supermarkets, pharmacies and wholesales in Hanover and neighbouring parishes. He intends to expand the business to include turmeric powder, which hit the market in 2020. Currently a student at the Bethel Bible College Extension, Oran wants to further his studies in Agri-processing.
Oran is an active member of the Jamaica Agriculture Society (JAS), and also assists with the management of his community’s greenhouse facilities. He intends to develop his entrepreneurial skills, and continue to produce quality and affordable products.
