Gramps driven to succeed and it’s more than just music. A chat with the recently Grammy Nominated singer on his new venture into herbal and healthy living.
As Gramps Morgan lets it sink in that his independently released Morgan Heritage album Strictly Roots is nominated for the 2016 Grammys Best Reggae album. This multi-talented artist is, to say the least, a little overwhelmed.
CP: Congratulations on your Grammy nomination it’s so awesome!
Gramps: Man CP, you just don’t know, got to give Jah thanks for all the blessings this year!
CP: I know music is life for you, so how did you get into this farming?
Gramps: I have always been interested in coffee and started to visit farms in St Thomas and learned a lot and started to see it as a way of life to grow and share food planted in the earth. Then one day I came off stage and there was a man I met backstage and said to me I need to get into farming and the rest is history.
He has been growing his own special grade of scotch bonnet pepper on his 60 acre farm in Trelawny. Gramps Farms supplies the hot spicy pepper to some of corporate Jamaica’s largest companies.
CP: What do you feel sets you apart from other farmers?
Gramps: What sets me apart from other farmers, number one you don’t have many musicians or artists that are farming and I want to show young people around the world that farming is cool, that it is a consciousness to plant something in the ground with your own hands, watch it grow and turn it into a lucrative business.”
Not only does he sell his scotch bonnet pepper, he also uses it for his new condiments product line which includes a scotch bonnet pepper sauce, a jerk BBQ sauce, a mild jerk seasoning and a HOT jerk seasoning under the moniker of Gramps Morgan Farms.
CP: When and were can we buy those products?
Gramps: The sauces will be available in Jamaica in the first quarter of 2016 and we will be expanding to include a few more products in the new year.
CP: Your latest product is a vitamin line where did that concept come from?
Gramps: The vitamin line came about because of my suffering the loss of my mother to cancer in 1988. I always said I would do something about this one day to help prevent this disease and that was my main drive, was to prevent cancer. The awareness of cleaning your organs monthly and have it become a way of life. So I started Pearl health systems, I named it after of my mother. As my knowledge increased about the herbs on this planet, I had to revamp the company and added a stronger new product line entitled Jamaican Pride. Within the Jamaican Pride line, I include herbs grown in Jamaica like Moringa, Sour Sop and Guinea Hen Weed. The line contains male and female multi-vitamins and detox supplements and all the products are 100% organic formulas.
CP: What is your philosophy in this particular business since it so different from the music biz?
Gramps: My philosophy when it comes to the food business is that it is very serious you have to do your homework. I’m still learning and still growing as a company. I’m also looking to expand next year. God will send the right investors to help me fulfill my dream with Gramps Morgan Farms. Rohan Marley (Co-founder of the organic coffee Marley Coffee) and I share a lot of the same dreams and he continues to share his experience and knowledge with me as this is a market that he has much more experience in then I do.
While Gramps is pioneering the natural foods aspects of the brand, the rest of the Morgan Heritage family are taking it one step further by recently launching the Heritage Estates Villas in Port Morant, St Thomas, Jamaica. This rustic sustainable eco friendly guest house accommodations has rooms named after popular songs recorded by Gramps’ father Reggae veteran, Denroy Morgan. Amenities include an in – house kitchen staff that whips up delicious meals for guests with a menu featuring all of the Gramps Morgan Farms products.
For more information on Gramps’ vitamin line Jamaican Pride visit the website www.jamaicanpride.com.
For booking information on Hertiage Estates Villas check www.heritageestatesja.
Follow o-access JAMAICA’s contributor Claudette Powell on twitter @cpboomlove
o-access JAMAICA 