Women of Borough Market: Dawn
To mark International Women’s Day, some of Borough Market’s female traders, staff and trustees share their experiences as women in the food industry. Today, Dawn Smith of Pimento Hill on Jamaican women, ageism and marmalade
“WOMEN AND GIRLS ARE WORKING MORE AND DOING MORE. THEY RECOGNISE IT’S THEIR TIME. IT’S OUR TIME.”
Interview: Ellie Costigan
I’ve always been a foodie. I don’t know any Caribbean woman who isn’t – we do love our food! The inspiration for my company, Pimento Hill, was born out of that. I wanted to be independent, do something that gave me pleasure and stretched me a bit – and I haven’t been disappointed. I’m proud to say I’ve been at Borough Market for more than 12 years now, and I feel I’ve made my mark.
The food I produce is the food I grew up eating in Jamaica. I never thought I’d end up making it; I always saw myself more as the end user! I started making jerk seasoning because I thought I could do it better than what was available in the shops. The rest is just based on what I like. One of my favourite products is my marmalade. I’m a marmalade girl. I was raised on it. Before my mum passed away, there was a lady at the church she went to who would always make a pot of marmalade for her to take home for me.
In Jamaica, women don’t normally play a huge role in commercial food production. Back in the day, women took care of the kids and the household, and the men went out and worked. However, over the years mechanical and tech developments have meant farming has become a whole lot easier, physically, so women are now taking on that role. Young women are going off to agricultural school and learning not just how to grow food but understanding the economics behind the food industry. It’s a coming of age for us. This generation of women and girls are working more and doing more. They recognise it’s their time. It’s our time.
That’s not to say there aren’t still inequalities in the food industry, both in Jamaica and in the UK. Ageism is a problem: there’s a big focus on young people, yet there are so many older women out there who would love to start their own businesses. We’re losing out on all that experience. These women need more support.
There are lots of women working here at the Market, but there are still fewer female traders than male – and there are not a lot of black women. Having an awareness of that makes you operate differently. It’s a lot of pressure. I’d like to see that change, and I hope it will. Hopefully, I’m inspiring other black women to do the same as me and start their own businesses.
