Joel Goffe grows grape plants in a very sunny area of St. Catherine, Jamaica. Now age 25, he started this as an experiment about three years ago. “I always loved agriculture and farming,” he explained. “I also like exotic plants, and grapes fit that bill, too. So, I wanted to see if I could grow them at home.”
A Christian, Joel said the first grapevine he bought that turned out to be suitable for the Jamaican climate was from a seller in Old Harbour, who told him that it was a seedless variety. Astonishingly, when it bore fruit on his “clothes-line” trellis, they were not only juicy and delicious, but also contained seeds!
The jubilant Joel continued to experiment until he realised that he could actually start a business to augment his full-time admin job. “My vision is to one day get a nice piece of land where I can set up a proper vineyard,” he said, “because then I would be able to grow enough vines to not only sell the plants like I do now, but also the fruits. Not that I don’t call what I have now a vineyard, y’kno, it’s just that I am thinking long-term; I have a little set-up, and I know where I want it to go.”
Joel currently grows the red cardinal grape, which has a slightly thicker skin and, of course, seeds. “I know that some people prefer seedless grapes, and I’m experimenting with one now to expand the offering. But,” the young entrepreneur stressed, “I’m all for seeds. If you observe even from the beginning of creation, God made fruits with seeds! Plus, grape seeds have other value, too; they aren’t only for replanting.”
Grape seed benefits are well-known by the food and cosmetic industries, which extract the oil for sale. High in vitamin E, grapeseed oil can be used on the skin as a light moisturiser, to relieve itchy scalp, and can be included in the kitchen’s complement of food-grade oils.
Joel shared how he had gotten another seeded variety recently, so depending on its progress, he would probably soon have three different types of plants for sale.
IS YOUR GRAPEVINE TAKING A LONG TIME TO BEAR?
When asked his opinion on a Rain reader’s complaint of a grapevine that she had planted over a year ago and was now running wild with not a fruit bud in sight, Joel advised that this could be the result of a number of factors. He cited two: “If the vine was started from a seed, it’s gonna take a longer time to fruit, even up to seven years. However, if it was propagated from cuttings, then within a year, it should start bearing.”
He emphasised that pruning was also critical, for if the plant is to focus on fruit production, then excess branches and leaves would have to be removed.
How did Joel, now a budding grape farmer, learn?
“YouTube and failures,” was his frank response. “I use failures as stepping stones to get to the next level—failure can be such an invaluable teacher. And I don’t mind sharing what I’ve learned, either,” he added. “So, tell your friend with the non-bearing vine to contact me, and I’ll see how I can help.”
Are you interested in growing grapes, too? You can start by scrolling through Joel’s jamaicangrapefarmer social media pages.
We salute this son of the soil.
