Jamaican born condiment mogul, Keith “Levi Roots” Graham hailed the international success of a team from The University of the West Indies, Mona (UWI) whose use of locally grown fruits and vegetables won them the first place award in the Opportunity Funding Corporation Innovation & Entrepreneurship (OFCIE) competition recently held in Atlanta Georgia.
 
 
Graham was among several prominent Jamaican business persons who gathered at the Mona School of Business and Management (MSBM) recently to congratulate the team which was comprised of MSBM MBA students. Under the Company Name “Near Earth Delights” the team presented their business plan highlighting the value of brand Jamaica with their pitch for Giggles: baby food made from high nutrition Jamaican produce. The MSBM delegation was the only non-US based team among 25 schools including Howard University and Tuskeegee University.
 
“Seeing the video of the team presenting to the judges reminded me of when I was on the Shark Tank show,” said the Reggae Reggae Sauce creator, “It’s great to see Jamaicans doing well in this international competition and spreading the message about Jamaican food. It’s a proud moment and I am glad to congratulate them.”  Roots went on to present the team with gift bags from his Reggae Reggae line, and offered to lend his support and advice to the team members as they take their product to the next level. He also took time out to speak with each team member about their experience at the overseas final competition.
 
The baby food product pitch was the joint efforts of team members Donya-Jean Brown, Sacha Walters-Gregory, Suzette Pottinger, Kaydian Dawes, and Andre Moore.The Giggles brand wowed judges including representatives from Microsoft, UPS, and Walmart.  The MSBM delegation presented a business plan responding to the international demand for high quality infant nutrition. Giggles products would be made from healthy Jamaican ingredients, reputed to exceed the nutritional value of any other source.
 
 
The team proposed that products made from foods grown under ideal tropical conditions would be not only delicious and nutritious but the healthiest choice in “starter- foods”.
 
 
Professor Paul Simmonds Executive Director of MSBM expressed the school’s commitment to fostering the advancement of local businesses, saying “Winning this competition is not the end of a process it is really a beginning, as we endeavor to springboard these innovative ideas into fruition.”
 
 
MSBM was instrumental in the process from start to finish, hosting the local leg of the ‘Venture Challenge’ alongside lead sponsor Scotiabank Small Business Banking. Simmonds also noted that the school provided significant support for the team throughout the process by connecting them with a support system of Jamaica’s finest business persons and scientific resources.
 
 
Also present to congratulate the team were MSBM graduates and affiliates who volunteered their time to guide the team in key areas of their own expertise. These included Douglas Lindo, the team’s faculty advisor as well as corporate mentors such as Mark Chisholm, Elaine Commissiong, Jacqueline Scott-Crossley, Harry Smith, James Moss-Solomon and Garfield Gordon who contributed to the team’s success. The Scientific Research Council (SRC) also assisted in formulating the combinations of tropical foods that would produce optimal nutritional content for children ages 6-48 months.