Thumbs Up Jamaican Jerk Story

A native of Jamaica, Derrick Agate struggled to find the jerk seasoning flavors of home in the suburbs of Minnesota, so 30 years ago he set out on a journey to create his own. After perfecting the recipe with the guidance of his mother and aunt, Derrick began sharing the flavors with friends and family. Jerk chicken was the main attraction at every party!

What started as a small idea of selling jerk seasoning with marinade instructions quickly turned on its head when Derrick joined a competition barbeque team. Derrick would inject jerk marinade into 2 hogs to serve as a meal for his team and to sell to other competitors. Their natural reaction was to slather the pork in BBQ sauce, masking the flavors. So Derrick thought, why not combine both flavors into one bottle? 

When asked what they thought of the new barbeque sauce, people were too busy savoring the flavors and could only respond with a Thumbs Up.

Thumbs Up Jamaican Jerk enables Derrick to fulfill his goal of bringing the Jamaican flavor to America. He is passionate about family, cooking, and bringing people of all cultures together. He continues to experiment with different meats and spices and is always willing to share his love for Jamaican and American culture with anyone he meets!