OUR STORY

Dwyer International Market LLC, doing business as Dwyer Spices is a small-batch company registered in the State of Kansas. The company’s corporate office, warehouse and Certified Kitchen are located in the capital city of Topeka. The owners of this unique business, Oswald Dwyer Jr. and his son Luke Dwyer are of Jamaican ancestry and founded the company in late October 2015. Dwyer Spices is a growing business which creates and markets Jamaican and Caribbean jerk seasonings, rubs, marinades and other Island inspired foods. Their delicious and exciting line of products are created from recipes and spices used and enjoyed by the people of Jamaica and the Caribbean.

It is an interesting story of how a small company in Topeka, Kansas decided to take the path less travelled by daring to bring the taste of Jamaica and the Caribbean to the Heartland of America. The story begins in the Caribbean island of Jamaica.

Port Antonio, Jamaica

Port Antonio, located on the northeastern coast of Jamaica is home to some of the most spectacular scenery anywhere on the island. Portie, as the locals refer to the region, boast some of the most beautiful public beaches anywhere in the world. It was in this rural setting in the early 60s that Junior Dwyer (as he was called during those days) began his informal education and lasting interest in cooking. As the eldest of four children (his youngest sibling was born after the family moved from Port Antonio) he remembers watching his mother prepare meals for the family using spices and herbs common to the island. Mom Dwyer was a great cook and taught her eldest child how to prepare popular local dishes redolent with aromatic and exotic ingredients readily available from gardens and nearby markets. Junior was a quick study and was soon helping in the kitchen under his mother’s watchful eyes.

In those days, locals from this seaside community would proclaim with pride that their beloved locality (the Parish of Portland) was the original birthplace of jerk style cooking in Jamaica. This claim resulted in fierce debates between them and several other localities quick to lay claim to the same honor. The debate still rages to this day. There is no question however, that this coastal area was and is still renowned for its jerk chicken, jerk pork, jerk fish and actually, jerk everything. No kidding! The long-ago memories of the amazing aromas and taste of the street-side vendors in Port Antonio plying their delicious goods had a lasting effect on the company’s eventual founder. Of no lesser impact was the fact Mom Dwyer was a skilled cook who knew how to prepare jerk food and other island dishes just like those colorful vendors, and eventually under her guidance, so did her eldest son.  

Kingston Jamaica

The Dwyer family moved to Kingston after leaving Port Antonio, and settled in a home located in a section of Kingston called August Town. Both parents worked outside the home which often meant that many meals were prepared by Junior. His culinary education continued under the tutelage of Mom Dwyer and various aunts and uncles who would occasionally visit. The mid-60s were a difficult time for the family, and the Dwyer children were sent to live with their paternal grandmother in Chapelton, a rural market town in the Parish of Clarendon.

Chapelton, Jamaica

Living with his grandmother in Chapelton was perhaps the most significant culinary training experience for the budding cook to this point. Miss V, as his grandmother was called (V was for Vera) was a salty and stern task master who took no guff from anyone. She was a skilful old world cook and her flavorful meals were renowned in her community. Her small but cozy home was nestled in a small rural settlement where modern appliances were a scarce luxury. All meals were prepared over an open wood and charcoal fire-box located in a little outdoor building separate from the living quarters. Her advanced age necessitated assistance in all home activities (so she said) including meal preparation which was now among her eldest grandson’s duties.

Under Miss V’s stern tutelage, Junior learned to use all the various spices from her surprisingly large and well kept garden. He learned how to prepare exotic and tasty meals that only she knew how to mix and season together. Furthermore, because of the rural setting of the local community, the variety of fresh and flavorful herbs and spices were bountiful and could be had in a moment’s notice. He learned how to identify the various spices, how to check for freshness, when best to harvest and used them, and how to shop for the various culinary delights at local open-air markets. His experience in the preparation of different and varied dishes was enhanced by his visits to the local Rastafari communities were the elders taught him how to use various vegetables, fruits and plants to prepare what we now know today as the whole foods way of meal preparation. His education continued in this way until Mom Dwyer came for her children and with her brood in tow, moved to the United States.

Queens, New York

In 1969 Mom Dwyer, a brave and courageous spirit, emigrated with her young children to the United States where she made Queens New York their home. It was a tumultuous time in the US in 1969. A chain of famous events that year would change the world for the good and and bad, leaving its mark in history as one of the most culturally defining years to date. There was the Concorde flight, Woodstock happened, and who could ever forget the Charles Manson saga, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, the Mets won the World Series, the counter-culture was gaining steam and the US instituted the first draft lottery since WW II. There were other defining moments in 1969, but are too numerous to list. Queens was a microcosm of it all. This was a new world, a new culture and an exciting promise for the future.

In the midst of these events, the Dwyer children embraced the unfamiliar cultural climate and completed high school by at least the early to mid seventies. What the Dwyers soon found out was that New York and its boroughs were some of the greatest and most diverse cultural melting pots in the world. And so, it came to be that the founder of Dwyer Spices met and became friends with peoples from many different cultures while attending high school. Through the game of soccer, he met players and their friends from countries such as the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Dominica, Cuba, Barbados, Mexico, Chile, Columbia, England Puerto Rico and many African countries. After long and contested sessions in the Jackson Heights area of Queens, the players would get together after rough and tumble games to share and cook foods from their various cultures. It was a way of celebrating each other and a sort of peace offering after many heated battles. It was an exciting time, culturally exhilarating, different in a wonderful way, and it was all good. The many and varied food offerings were new and fantastic and left a lasting impression. It is said that you learn from everyone and everything.

Kansas

In 1971, Oswald accepted an academic and soccer scholarship to a small undergraduate university in Ottawa, Kansas. After graduating from Ottawa University, he moved to Topeka where he started his own family. Oswald continued his soccer ways and through this wonderful game, met and shared diverse cooking experiences similar to those experienced in New York City. After retiring from his job as a trial attorney for the State of Kansas in 2013, his true passion finally became clearer. He wanted to start a business where his experience as a cook and his diverse knowledge of foods and spices from other cultures could be shared with Midwesterners and hopefully nationally. Oswald and his son Luke, who is also an accomplished cook, began perfecting their recipes for various Jamaican and Caribbean style blends they hoped to market.

There was the All-Purpose Rub & Seasoning recipe whose roots originated in a small Jamaican farming and fishing town called Oracabessa, located in the northeastern region of the island near the popular tourist resort town of Ocho Rios.  Then there was the Jerk Seasoning, the origin of which hailed from the owner’s beloved youthful home in Port Antonio where it all began. Lest we forget, Mom Dwyer continued to add her vast knowledge and opinions to the initial formulation (whether it was asked for or not) of the blends.

The products were tested in restaurants, in backyards and in the homes and kitchens of friends. Finally, after much encouragement and positive feedback from those who had experienced the unique flavor and taste of the blends, the father and son team officially registered their company and Dwyer International Market LLC, doing business as Dwyer Spices was finally a reality.

Today, Dwyer Spices is taking steps to position their company in a way that will meet the unique challenges of the present market trends. A significant part of this initiative is to increase their marketing presence and relevance on most of the popular web browsers, social networks as well as on Amazon. The company is also exploring the possibility of launching a “business to business” network which will better allow the marketing of the company’s products directly to other businesses.

Dwyer Spices know an integral part of achieving their commitment to introduce their delicious products to a broader and more diverse market, is to educate potential customers to the exciting world of new flavors, new tastes and the delightful variety and flexibility their products have to offer. It is an ongoing process which will soon include new and exciting products in the future. Through it all, the company’s drive to provide their customers the best products possible remains their guiding light.

Dwyer Spices thanks you for your support, and promise to continue to bring you delicious products for your home and business at a reasonable price.  We encourage you to give us a try and you will agree, Dwyer Spices is Simply The Best!

Oswald Dwyer

Luke Dwyer

Edited and Published, 5/31/2020

Reach Falls and Lush Rain Forest in Portland Parish, Jamaica