By Fay Simmons

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

Graycliff yesterday further expanded its operations by launching its new Batik Factory in the nearby Mountbatten House.

Paolo Garzaroli, president of Graycliff Cigar Company, said its latest attraction will help preserve a core part of Bahamian heritage while allowing the company to capitalise on the growing tourism market seeking interactive, authentic and cultural experiences.

Speaking at the opening yesterday, Mr Garzaroli said visitors to the Batik Factory can participate in hands-on experiences by creating their own shirts, tableware and decorative items, which they will be able to take home. The factory will also offer production runs for private companies and special events.

“We always wanted to have a lot of hands-on experiences here at Graycliff, and this really fits into the heartbeat of The Bahamas. We are all about authentic Bahamian experiences, and Batik is literally one of the fibres of the Bahamian economy,” said Mr Garzaroli.

“You can come here and have a full experience, where you make your own shirt, you make your own sort of tableware, scapes and that kind of stuff, and you're able to take it with you. So that opens up an avenue for cruise ship passengers; sustainable passengers. We also do production runs for private companies and events.”

Mr Garzaroli said Graycliff purchased Mountbatten House a few years back, and the building will serve as a temporary start-up space while the company negotiates with the Government on a permanent home for the factory.

“We bought the building a few years ago, and we've done several iterations. So this is the temporary facility for Batik right now. We're negotiating with the Government on the permanent home for the factory. This is the temporary start-up facility, and then we're going to move into a larger store,” he explained.

“We had tried to negotiate for the purchase of Androsia - that kind of fell through a couple years ago - and then this kind of presented itself. And like I said, it took us about 15 minutes to make that decision. It wasn’t really a long thought process. This is something that we've always wanted to do and create.”

Mr Garzaroli said the Batik Factory offers a completely new and unique experience for Graycliff visitors that will complement the offerings of the six other factories on the property.

“It gives you access to something that's been around for 300 years, but also it's a completely different offering than anything that we have here. We have six different factories here on property. This is a whole other experience that creates something out of basically nothing, and it shows the breadth and width of our fame and people - what we're able to create, and the colours and the vibrancy,” said Mr Garzaroli.

“It kind of gives us access to a whole different thing that we just weren't having access to before. We do a lot of local lessons at our winery and our chocolate factory and cigars. And so this gives an additional class that Bahamians can take and learn.

“Batik has been literally part of our Bahamian culture for more than 50 years. So Bahamians identify with the Batik process, and Bahamians are very proud of it, and we are very proud of it and we're proud to have the master with us.”

Mr Garzaroli said business across all of Graycliff’s factories and the hotel is “booming”, driven in large part by the steady flow of cruise passengers visiting Nassau. 

However, he said operational challenges remain, particularly at the harbour entrance, where the breakwaters are in need of repair. These repairs are critical to ensure that cruise ships can dock safely during rough conditions and that passengers can disembark without disruption. 

Mr Garzaroli recalled a recent weekend when weather and harbour conditions drastically reduced arrivals, forcing the company to make staffing adjustments.

“Business is booming. The cruise lines, obviously, are a big part of that - the volume of passengers is humongous. The only thing that’s kind of the unknown is that at the entrance of the harbour, the breakwaters need to be repaired so the ships can actually get in when it’s a little bit rough,” said Mr Garzaroli.

“So this past weekend, instead of having six ships, we only had one ship. So, the staffing, we had to kind of pivot quickly. We were staffed for an onslaught, and it was just kind of dribbles. But that’s the way business works.”