TAKING the advice of a good friend to go into agro-processing was one of the best decisions Roy Singh ever made some 20 years ago. And now, he is reaping the benefits of doing so.
Today, Roy Singh, who hails from Suddie, is an established entrepreneur on the Essequibo Coast and his culinary seasonings and spices are the most sought after.
Roy’s son, who is also his business partner, sat down with the Guyana Chronicle at the last night of the recently held inaugural Essequibo Agro and Trade Fair and explained how his father went from being a simple trader of raw ingredients to Suriname in 1996 to one of the most prominent agro-processors and owner of the small company, Roy’s Extra Quality and Spices.
Roy Singh sold the raw geerah, masala, cinnamon and black pepper, but one day his friend, who was returning to the United States, asked him to grind and package the ingredients. Agreeing to do so was the turning point for his business.
“When the guy came back, he said, ‘You know what! This thing, people like it!’ And they started complimenting him. And the guy told him that he can start grinding and selling it,” Gobinda Singh said.
It was in 1997 that Roy put his first stock of processed geerah and masala on the Suddie Market. The response was overwhelming. “He started right in the Suddie Market; and the people started buying,” son, Gobinda said, adding:
“It was now in demand; everybody wanted it. Friend tell neighbour, and neighbour tell friend; and that is how it got big.”
MEETING THE DEMAND
To meet the demands of the people, Roy mastered the art of sealing the plastic packages with hot candle. And though it was a tedious task, it had to be done. The labelling was handwritten on typwriting paper and placed into the packages. The look, however, did not sit well with Roy, or Gobinda, who was by this time grown enough to have a say in the business.
Being cognisant of the fact that the product has to appeal to the eyes, the pair decided to improve on the packaging after being rejected by the supermarkets.
“Because of how big this thing actually is in Essequibo, I want the Demerara people and the Berbice people to actually enjoy it,” Gobinda said.
“But when I go to certain supermarkets and stuff, they actually rejected it, because of the label. And so I said, ‘You know what? I am going to prove to you guys that we have good stuff,’ because people don’t wanna eat the packaging; they want to get the quality!”
Noting that today, Roy’s is the preferred brand on the entire Essequibo Coast, Gobinda said this is mainly because the spices they use are all 100% natural, as in no additives and no preservatives.
Currently, there are over 43 packaged spices and seasonings produced by Roy’s Extra Quality Spices. “When we started,” Goninda said, “was just the ground geerah and the masala, but now we have stuff ranging from all-purpose, chicken, cook-up, fry-rice, meat and fish, ginger, black pepper, jerk seasoning, achar, masala, turmeric, ground glove and cinnamon, just to name a few.”
THE FACTORY
The little factory at Adventure has in its employ six Essequibians, and is equipped with its very own mill, sealing machine, storage room and other facilities. The packaging was again modified and improved to meet international standards so as to be accepted in supermarkets countrywide.
This new packaging was launched at the exposition, and Gobinda said that surprisingly, it is less expensive to do than the older one.
On an even more positive note, the company will soon be collaborating with the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) to have their products stocked at the Guyana Shop in Georgetown.
Gobinda Singh, who is proud of his entrepreneurial skills, would like to encourage not only Essequibians but all Guyanese to support local businesses such as Roy’s Extra Quality Spices.
“I think that Guyanese should support local businesses, because, when they support us, we in turn support them; we actually go back to the local producers of turmeric and ginger; the people who make the packaging also get money; the chain of spending,” he said, adding:
“That is how the economy will be boosted; once you support local, we don’t need to import stuff from other countries.”