Almost one year ago to the month, ACE was investing funds to see the next microbusiness come to fruition through GLF – Green Life Fresh. This microbusiness features a greenhouse with 132 9-foot aeroponic growing towers, producing real, fresh food.
We endured many delays, such as a freak hurricane (Beryl) that only impacted certain areas of Jamaica. The hurricane completely collapsed our greenhouse structure. Then, we encountered an issue with renting the container for shipping on the rails from Memphis, TN — the location where the towers are manufactured — to the ship, and ultimately to the dock in Kingston. Praying for patience was a never-ending exercise for all of us.
When we received word from our broker in Kingston that the container was ready to be delivered to our farm last Friday, we thought we had all of our bases covered. A forklift truck was to come with the containers to offload everything so that the rental could turn around and head back to Kingston. We were even using a reliable company that we have used in the past to transport everything to us in St. Mary.
When the big Mack Truck drove in, we were all smiles. The task at hand was to offload the entire 40-foot container and place it in our own 40-foot container to hold until it was time to set up the towers. After a few hours with Customs sitting in the shade waiting as well, our smiles started drooping as we learned that the forklift truck wasn’t coming. We cannot open the container until Customs cuts the seal, so Allen and I looked at each other and said, “Well, it looks like we have to unload this ourselves.”
With Allen on the John Deere, and our three strong men, Redman, Bulla, and Sheldon, we all started pushing and sliding the pallets to Allen. Of course, Marla supervised and at critical moments, helped push a pallet to the mouth of the container that otherwise the men couldn’t have handled on their own.
As 4 PM approached and the Customs officials were coming off work for the weekend, we made it. One hundred percent of all towers were safely moved into our own container. Customs smiled and left for a glorious weekend at home, while the five of us sat and took a breather. Patience drove off the farm lot heading back to Kingston.
Was it worth it? We think so. But stay tuned for the next chapter as the experts will be arriving from Spain soon to show us how to install them and start our growing season for the winter (right in the middle of Jamaica’s hurricane season).
Maybe we should start praying again…
Blessings,
Marla
TRIP COST
There is an old proverb, “If you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, he’ll eat for a lifetime.” History proves that lasting change in a poverty culture is achieved by empowering the people to reach their full potential and become self-sustaining. ACE is invested in our community long-term and in conjunction with our partners in the US, we are identifying the circumstances of those around us in order to find real solutions for their unique needs.