Following the ravages of Tropical Storm Erika, the Dominica Essential Oils and Spices Co-operative Society Limited is in recovery mode and is seeking to build back better.
The organization’s distillery in Petite Savanne was totally destroyed during the passage of the storm on August 27 and General Manager Garner Eloi said the search is now on to find available land to build a better facility.
“We lost our entire production plant in Petite Savanne…all the equipment, everything is gone,” he stated at the fifth Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Dominica Manufacturers Association (DMA) at the Garraway Hotel on Wednesday.
He said the search is now on to find suitable land for building a distillery.
“We are now in recovery mode and our focus is to build back better,” he said. “We are scouting for the availability of land where we could set up a distillery to build back the capacity of bay and the export that we once had.”
He also said the organization lost two employees, a director and two members during the storm.
Eloi mentioned further that in the process of building back, the company is in need of financial assistance.
He appealed to donor agencies to assist in that venture and noted that currently the company is working with the Banana Accompanying Measures to get production going again.
“An initiative was set up where we could improve on the local or artisanal distilleries so as to get the production going,” Eloi explained.
Despite the challenges posed by the storm, Eloi said there are some positive aspects.
“The price of bay was constant, it was at a standstill and after Erika we have seen a drastic spike,” he explained. “The price was $55 per pound and now it is as far as $90 per pound of bay oil and the demand for bay is increasing. We are appealing to our members; now is the time to capitalize on the opportunity that exists and let’s build back the cooperative even better.”
Dominica Essential Oils started operations in 1964 as a shipping club and in 1968, it was registered as an agricultural cooperative.
I had been a long time supporter of locally made products – But since after the Bois Bande let me down I return to my chemically made products. I brew 10 bags of Bois Bande, the tea put me to sleep instead of “waking” me app.
I like there bayrum so much.