CayFresh farm plays an important role in sustainable agriculture in Cayman and helping to reduce the carbon footprint associated with imported produce. The 1.5-acre farm, which grows herbs, supplies primarily to Foster’s and Hurley’s grocery stores.
“Because we are local, our produce is fresher and has a longer shelf-life compared to imported herbs,” explains Bruce Mico who runs CayFresh with his wife Ginny Pascucci. “The imported herbs for restaurants in Cayman are flown in, mostly from Colombia via Miami. These imported herbs have a much larger carbon footprint than locally grown produce.”
Bruce and Ginny started farming after retiring from research careers involved with the discovery and development of new medicines. Initially, they tried hydroponic methods but switched to soil production, which they found made the herbs taste better.
“We had no background in farming, but our understanding of basic biology and chemistry helped,” says Bruce. “More importantly, from our previous research careers, we were accustomed to failure before eventually succeeding. It took a number of years to discover the combination of growing conditions needed for each herb.”
THE TEAM
Farming in Cayman is challenging due to the heat, scarcity of arable soil and fresh groundwater, as well as relatively high labour costs.
But CayFresh has a dedicated team of five workers who keep the farm producing delicious fresh herbs which are good for the plate as well as the environment.
“They (the team) are the farm,” says Bruce. “Our small, speciality farm does not benefit from mechanised farming techniques. We have shade-houses and irrigation systems, but most of the work is hard, tedious labour in the hot sun and sometimes in the rain.”
The team consists of Rohan Miller, Jonathan Echavez, Pearl Seaton, Dellmarie Eccleston and Lana Simpson.
Rohan farmed in Jamaica and Cayman for more than 30 years – his entire adult life.
“He loves farming and has worked for us for three years,” says Bruce “We depend on him to manage herb production to provide a reliable supply for our customers.”
Jonathan joined CayFresh in 2016 and is originally from Cebu in the Philippines, where he farmed and did plumbing and electrical work. “For us, he does all of these things to maintain the farm as well as deliveries to stores,” Bruce explains.
Pearl, Dellmarie and Lana are all from Jamaica and were working as domestic helpers before joining the farm. The three of them harvest and package the herbs as well as planting and weeding.
“Pearl, who has worked for us for eight years, is extremely organised and efficient and keeps the deliveries organised,” says Bruce.
“Dellmarie, another reliable and long-term employee, is very proficient and careful at ensuring the quality of our herbs while packaging. Lana recently started with us and is very enthusiastic about farming.”
The herbs are planted in raised beds to allow for ample water drainage with large amounts of organic material and sand added to the local red, clay-like soil. The herbs are then protected from direct sunlight and rain, based on the individual needs of each herb.
“For many workers in the modern world, it is difficult to feel or sense of how their work contributes to others,” says Bruce. “With farming for local customers, you can directly see the impact of your efforts. In addition, since farming depends on and is affected by nature, it provides a direct personal connection to the natural world.”
This article originally appeared in What’s Hot, Autumn 2023 issue.
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