The breakthrough that would eventually place Jamaica at the centre of a niche global agricultural market did not begin in a laboratory or design studio. It began with a worried farmer in St Elizabeth who could no longer make the numbers work.

Years ago, a sorrel grower walked into a small community farm store in Comma Pen and told store owner Oral Turner that he was considering abandoning his crop altogether. The cost of harvesting, he said, would wipe out any profit. That conversation stayed with Turner and his wife Allison and soon became the catalyst for what is now the Oral Turner Sorrel Deeseeder.

At the time, the Turners were not searching for an invention. Instead, they were confronted with a pattern they could not ignore. Sorrel farmers were consistently burdened by labour costs that consumed roughly half the total cost of production. Despite sorrel being grown in more than 50 subtropical countries, harvesting was still done almost entirely by hand.

The couple decided that assumption should be challenged.

Turner Innovations Limited was established in 2009, and what followed was more than 16 years of experimentation, setbacks and redesign. Early attempts focused on cutting the sorrel to remove the seed, but the approach shortened the shelf life of the calyx and threatened product quality. Solving one problem created another.

One of the most difficult hurdles was sourcing suitable materials. The Turners could not find blades shaped precisely enough to separate the seed from the calyx without damaging the flesh. With no commercial solution available, they resorted to manual work. The first prototype required the hand cutting of 600 blades, a task that took roughly five weeks of daily effort using razor blades.

Progress came when the focus shifted from multiple cuts to a single controlled action. The result was a feed and cut mechanism that processes each sorrel bud individually. The system grips the bud, removes the seed in one motion and separates the components cleanly. According to Allison Turner, no other machine worldwide performs this function in the same way.

Field testing began in Jamaica, where farmers quickly took notice of the speed and efficiency of the machine. Interest soon spread beyond the island, drawing attention from Australia, where labour costs are significantly higher. During visits to Australian farms, the Turners observed the deeseeder operating during the sowing season. Farmers reported production speeds at least twice as fast as traditional methods while cutting labour costs by half.

Sorrel’s appeal extends well beyond its role in Jamaican holiday traditions. The crop is used internationally in herbal teas, pharmaceuticals, chutneys, cooking and cosmetics, and is valued for its antioxidant properties and its association with reducing cancer risks and high blood pressure.

As interest grew, securing intellectual property became critical. With grant support from the Development Bank of Jamaica under the Boosting Innovation, Growth and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems programme, Turner Innovations obtained patents in Jamaica, the United States of America and internationally.

Additional support from the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurs and venture capital partners including First Angels Caribbean helped strengthen the company’s business model. Manufacturing followed, and the Oral Turner Sorrel Deeseeder officially launched in January 2024.

Momentum was briefly slowed by Hurricane Melissa, which caused significant agricultural damage across St Elizabeth and affected local sales. While the company avoided major losses, reduced crop output limited domestic demand.

Still, the Turners remain focused on growth and impact. Married for more than 21 years, they see their work as larger than commercial success.

Their aim, Allison Turner says, is to leave a clear example that innovation is possible in Jamaica and that persistence can turn a local problem into a global solution.

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