Jamaican Doing Business in Colombia | How Anasia Built Medellín’s Only Jamaican Restaurant 🇯🇲🇨🇴

What’s it really like being a Jamaican doing business in Colombia?

In this episode, Xavier Murphy, founder of Jamaicans.com, sits down with Anasia Reid, a British-Jamaican entrepreneur who turned her love for Jamaican food into Medellín’s only Jamaican restaurant, Jamaiquita.

Anasia shares her journey from corporate engineering to entrepreneurship, why she chose Colombia, how she identified a gap in the food market, and what it takes to build a business abroad. From cultural adjustments and learning Spanish to introducing Colombians to jerk chicken, oxtail, and Jamaican flavours, this conversation is a real-world look at diaspora entrepreneurship in action.

If you’re curious about moving abroad, starting a business overseas, or how Jamaican culture continues to travel and thrive globally, this one is for you.

📍 Location: Medellín, Colombia
🍽 Restaurant: Jamaiquita (“Little Jamaica”)

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⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – Introduction: Jamaican doing business in Colombia
00:29 – Anasia Reid’s Jamaican & British background
01:18 – Why she moved to Colombia
02:31 – Learning Spanish and settling in Medellín
02:53 – From engineering to opening a Jamaican restaurant
04:01 – Identifying a gap in Colombia’s food market
05:13 – The meaning behind Jamaiquita (“Little Jamaica”)
07:52 – Colombian reactions to Jamaican food
09:24 – Setting up a business as a foreigner
10:39 – Choosing the right location in Medellín
13:29 – Building community through food, music & culture
15:21 – Cultural differences and adjusting to life in Colombia
19:02 – Living in Medellín: festivals & lifestyle
22:15 – Advice for Jamaicans considering moving abroad
22:49 – What’s next: expansion and franchising plans
23:42 – Final thoughts & invitation to visit Jamaiquita

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