“The school programme is not just for revenue generation, but how do we start to connect back to our youth and their development, which ultimately is about the future.,” Seymour said, adding that Mother’s is extending itself into a focus on nutritional and STEM education support among its youth targets, to build the company brand among future customers. Seymour says operating in schools is more than supplying nutrition, but also builds the Mother’s brand. Mother’s currently acts as concessionaire for nine school canteens with Wolmer’s Girls’ and Boys’ schools, Jamaica College, Immaculate Conception High, Excelsior High, EXED Community College, Manchester High, along with two primary schools in Naggo Head, and Spanish Town Primary. We cater birthday parties and, even recently, there was a contract for 800 breakfasts, lunches and dinners for two weeks,” Seymour said. “We’re doing large catering for fundraising runs, major corporate events, and there’s nothing that you think about that we can’t prepare for you. Seymour says the company wants to be known as a food company and does catering at multiple levels for clients, ranging from small private dinners to large public functions. Operating from its Retirement Road base, Mother’s does more than just patties and pastries. “We have some new opportunities that we’ll be exploring in 2024, so we’ve started the hiring ahead of that to start training,” Seymour said.

In light of prevailing labour shortages, Mother’s has placed job ads in several channels, hoping to add to its human resources to support the expansion. Seymour says the expansion programme calls for another 120 new hires. The company currently has a total of 900 staff. The addition of the new branches will mean an expansion of the workforce, according to the managing director. Funding will be through unnamed investors, he says. Seymour says, depending on each proposed location, he expects to spend about J$70 million. Sign up for The Gleaner’s morning and evening newsletters.

Flow top up to jamaica