by John Garton, chief executive of Genuine Jersey
IT HAS been an incredible 12 months, which have seen Islanders’ further cement their affection for all things local, a passion which has always been present but one which gained real momentum in 2020 with people buying more and more locally as we all spent more time on Island.
The Genuine Jersey Product Association, which was started in 2001, is a celebration of the best in Jersey that has either been reared, caught, grown, or made on Island and this year we celebrated our 20th anniversary, quite the milestone and one we’re very proud of.
What better way to support the local economy than to buy locally grown and produced goods from local shops? We have some fantastic farm shops, small stores, and supermarkets which stock locally grown items.
Buying Genuine Jersey goods ensures that your money goes back into supporting our farmers, growers, and the local economy.
Every £1 spent is worth more to the local economy when spent on local produce.
Over the years, the products which bear the Genuine Jersey mark have become even more diverse and our membership includes an ever-increasing range of producers, including dairy and farm produce, fish and shellfish, sweet treats, beverages, arts and crafts, flowers, plants and jewellery.
Over the last 12 months we have seen a notable increase in the number of Islanders applying to join Genuine Jersey, with membership currently sitting at 180 and a number of applications already waiting to be approved at our next management committee meeting, which takes place in March.
A great number of applications this year are from people who have used the time during our recent lockdowns to learn new skills, or rediscover old ones, and many have been encouraged by other members who have extolled the virtues of what being part of the Genuine Jersey community has done for them.
As a not-for-profit association we serve to promote the Genuine Jersey brand and our members both on and off Island. We are able to do this through the annual subscriptions our members and sponsors pay and thanks to a grant from the Government of Jersey.
All funds are used to support members and for the benefit of the community, there are no head office costs.
You don’t actually need to be a producer to join the community though. This year we welcomed on board our first patron, Smith & Williamson – a relationship which we’re looking forward to developing over time.
Their support has enabled us to commit to producing a series of short films to introduce our members via our social media channels, which we have been filming with local production company Slingshot Films.
We love hearing the stories behind the products we are presented with. We really do have an island full of incredibly talented folks.
We’d love to work with more like-minded individuals or local businesses who may be interested in supporting home-grown talent by becoming a patron.
Supporting our members with opportunities to sell their produce is a big part of what we do, which includes providing advice and support when it comes to selling and development.
Therefore, it was incredible to be able to run our markets in St Aubin again this summer, alongside the addition of a new location outside the Homefields Farm Shop in St Clement.
We were also delighted to once again be able to host our Christmas Markets, which took place in the Royal Square over two four-day weekends at the end of November and first weekend of December.
Having been forced to take a break last year we couldn’t be happier with how things went. It was so fantastic to see so many Islanders come and support the producers, enjoy the musical performances, and soak up the festive atmosphere.
Every one of the 66 stallholders who took part in the event was selling locally produced goods, which included 50 Genuine Jersey Members. This is the largest number of participants we’ve ever seen at our markets and we can’t wait to see what the event we’re planning in spring brings. Watch this space.
