Facts in Short: Ackee export popularity grows

Brands from Jamaica continue to grow in strength with global consumers searching for ackee, rum, coffee and jerk in increasing numbers over a five year period.

The searches are also matched with increased exports from the island to the world, according to official government data and Google Trends data.

Persons are buying these products using traditional trade methods but also increasingly through e-commerce shops and platforms.

In February 2012 for every person searching for Jamaican jerk, 4 persons searched for rum, 8 for coffee and 40 people searched for ackee, according to Google Trends. Fast forward to this February ackee searches continue to dominate at 59 searches for every 8 for coffee and rum; and three for jerk.

Ackee exports climbed to J$1.93 billion for the first nine-months of 2016 compared to J$1.2 billion a year earlier. Rum exports totaled J$3.9 billion for the same 2016 period compared with J$3.4 billion in the corresponding period in 2015. Coffee exports totaled $3.16 billion in 2016 (January to September) compared with $2.5 billion a year earlier.

While sauces which would include jerk increased to $1.7 billion in 2016 (January to September) up from $1.2 billion a year earlier.

There you have it!