Nutmeg
11 August 2016 | St. Georges, Grenada
Melissa Hot and humid with a chance of showers
August 5, 2016
The information about production quantity and grading standards in this blog comes from the Grenada Cooperative Nutmeg Association (GCNA).
At Gouyave we stopped to tour the Nutmeg Processing Factory. Nutmeg trees produce two spices--nutmeg and mace. Nutmeg is a seed (nut) in the middle of a yellowish fruit and mace is the netlike covering (aril) of the nutmeg seed. Both nutmeg and mace are processed at this factory. The factory is not mechanized. It is highly labor intensive and specialized "tools."
Nutmeg and mace are brought to the processing center by the farmer. The nutmeg is inspected and insect damaged seeds are discarded. It is weighed and the amount is written in a notebook next to the farmer's name. (Mace is brought to the factory and is weighed, sorted and dried as well.) A cracking machine now cracks the seeds and funnels them to women for sorting. The nutmeg is sorted and shelled by a sorter. The products are whole kernels, cracked kernels or pieces, escapes (seeds with unbroken testa and shells). A female worker is expected to sort 77kg. (170 lbs.) per day, but most average much more. Once the worker has completed the final sorting and inspection, the nutmeg is bagged into 65 kg. (143lbs.) for shipment overseas. The food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries use nutmeg and its byproducts. Sorting, cleaning shelling, and, bagging, more sorting, cleaning, shelling and bagging, and still more sorting and bagging! Incredible.
Photographs are allowed only if the worker agrees. Many do not want to be photographed for religious or cultural reasons and do not meet your eyes. Others allow photographs, but do not stop sorting. Piecemeal work is hard and stopping to chat is not conducive to higher production and pay. A worker is paid $42 Eastern Caribbean ($15.50US) for 77 kg. (170 lbs.) of nutmeg. The smell of the nutmeg permeates the entire building. The freshness of the nutmeg smells so much stronger than that one has purchased or grated!