Sorrell, June plum and guava cheeses from Exotic Products Jamaica Limited.

Fruit is the perfect chameleon. It can be used to make almost anything and fruit cheese is one such sweet and interesting treat.

"Give me any fruit and I can make it," said Joyce McFarlane of Exotic Products Jamaica Limited, makers of fruit cheese. The St Thomas manufacturer enjoys experimenting with new flavours manufacturer.

McFarlene, who has been in food production for 40 years, has made mango, sorrel, tamarind, June plum, otaheite apple and guava cheeses.

The word cheese may conjure up thoughts of milk, but the chewy treat is a simple combination of fruit purée, sugar, pectin (to help jell the mixture) and citric acid (to add some tang).

Great skills

McFarlene showed her skills making the guava flavour when Food visited the factory recently.

After the best fruits are selected, the seeds are removed and the pulp puréed. The purée, sugar, citric acid and pectin are stirred until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture boiled. The processing takes about a half hour. The mixture is then poured into a container to sit for hours until cooled.

McFarlene said it was great as a confectionery for children as well as adults; it's also a good complement for crackers. Fruit cheese can also be served with dairy cheese and crackers (this is so in Cuba) .

The company recently decided to reintroduce the speciality product which they stopped producing about three years ago.

"We used to do it by orders, but now we want to commercialise it," said Trevor Blake, one of the two partners in the company which also does canned ackee, canned callaloo, jerk seasoning, among others. He said they sold the fruit cheese to speciality shops and individuals who use them as sweet treats at weddings.

Great potential

Nathan Buddha, the other business partner, also believes the product has great potential, concurring with McFarlane that it is a healthy snack for children which has an extended shelf life once refrigerated.

However, they are nowhere near their goal of getting it completely commercialised. According to Blake, they need to finalise appropriate packaging to sell the product commercially.

Meanwhile they are finalising distribution with some speciality shops and it's available directly from the factory for anyone who wishes to order it.

The products retail for about $170 to $180 per pound in stores. The prices vary for different flavours.

Wayne Grossett (left) sprinkles sugar into the kettle which has the guava mixture, while Joyce McFarlene mixes with a paddle. - Ian allen/Photographer