Meet Donovan

The ‘fresh fruit and veg daily’ areas of Ocho Rios Market are a festival of exotic fare and a great way to see local life up close. Our friend Donovan Gordon is here to fill us in...

How did you get into this lark?

Go back to my father and his father before, the family have worked the market stall as long as I can remember. I helped out from the age of about six years old.

How do you prepare for the day?

I rise up at four most mornings to collect up the fruit and vegetables from the farmer supplier so I can then take a few hours to carefully set out the stall.

Why do ladies poke and caress and feel up the fruit?

Cos they think that, like them husband, it will get bigger!

Pick an unusual Jamaican fruit.

Soursop always gets a surprise reaction from overseas folks... its spikey green skin, big black seeds, then the delicious taste.

What, if anything else, would you really love to do?

This is what I do all my life. I meet new people daily, it pays the rent and light and puts rum on the table.

What changes to Ocho Rios would you like to see?

The market area badly needs to be resurfaced. A lot of people depend on their livelihood here and it need some tidy up.

Do carrots scream when you chop them?

Carrots are balanced. It’s the mangoes that give you trouble.

Ocho Rios Market is open daily, the Farmers' Market is open Fridays and Saturdays. You can read more about the Market & Farmers' Market on our Shopping page.

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