AFTER relocating to St James from Kingston about five years ago, Donna Gordon had no idea what she would do for a living. She had previously worked at Stationery & Office Supplies in Kingston for close to 15 years.

“My other half had moved to Montego Bay, so I decided to come down here. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do. We thought about setting up a hardware, but we realised that there were too many hardware stores around,” Gordon is quoted as saying in a release. “Then we decided to do a feed store. There are many farmers around and their animals will always want to be fed.”

For the past four years, Gordon has been operating the Farm Plus Gift & Variety Store, which is in Anchovy, St James. According to the release, the individuals in and around the community have been supportive of the business. Customers visit from as far away as Westmoreland, the release said.

Last week Tuesday, Gordon was recognised by Nutramix at its Nutra Days event. She claimed the prize for top sales in the north-western region. Scores of her customers came out to celebrate and show their support for the business owner, the release said.

“It’s really refreshing to see the Nutramix team here and it’s also a joy to see what they are here doing. I am not only surprised, but I am excited and elated. What is even nicer is the fact that a lot of my customers are also here today,” Gordon said.

Gordon, who has two children, said the community of Anchovy has been very supportive of her business. According to her, it is their continued support that has contributed to her business being named the top seller for Nutramix feed for the region in 2017.

“The people here are very warm and welcoming. I feel good about the recognition. I am very happy and grateful,” Gordon said.

Gordon’s business employs eight people from the community. She also plans to expand the business over the next few years.

“I am happy to be able to provide the farmers within the community with what they want. We try to ensure that our customers receive the ultimate satisfaction at all times,” she said.

Ian Wright, a pig farmer from Hanover, has been a regular customer for the past two years.

“I find that the prices are reasonable, and Donna is like family. If I have a problem with my animals and I call her, she gets on the phone and contacts the vet who comes to my farm to assist. She seems to be able to solve all of the problems that I have,” said Wright.

“The location is also very convenient and that also prevents me from going to far places to get what I need,” he added.

Meanwhile, Westmoreland-based chicken farmer Joan Shields said the professional service she receives is what keeps her coming back.

“I am here because of the love that I get and the product. Donna always recommends a professional to give assistance with your animals. She even had farming experts come here to do an expo to give us advice about our animals — I really appreciate that. She’s a people person,” Shields said.

Winston Thomas, technical sales manager at Nutramix, explained the concept behind the Nutra Days execution.

“…We treat our number one customers in each geographical area. What we’ve done is to divide Jamaica into five regions and each region is manned by a sales representative,” Thomas said.

“We reward the customer that has sold the most volume in their region for the year, with a celebration for them, as well as their customers,” he continued.

The Nutra Days concept has been ongoing for the past 12 years, the release said, adding that there are three other planned dates for its execution: February 21, February 28 and March 7.