STERLING Products Limited (SPL) commissioned its brand new Yo’great yogurt manufacturing plant on Friday last at its Providence, East Bank Demerara location.

The facility, equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technology, is fully operational, producing the now popular Yo’great yogurt for distribution across the country.
Speaking at the commissioning, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SPL Ramsay Ali said the new product has exceeded the expectations of the company, to the extent that efforts are now being made to add several new flavours as well as enter two key Caribbean markets.
“Yo’great has exceeded our expectations. We are now in the process of looking back at some of the research we have done since we launched.  We will be adding new flavours and putting out natural yogurt as well as cooking yogurt. There has been a huge request from different segments of the population. We also received two very serious inquiries for export to Barbados and Trinidad that is being worked out as we speak and hopefully we can get that by the first quarter of next year. The yogurt has done very well; it’s something we are very proud of here, especially as it relates to the processing of the product,” the CEO stated.
He pointed out that SPL’s decision to use products grown and manufactured in Guyana in the production of Yo’great is something the company is very proud of.
“The use of fresh cow’s milk and the use of locally grown fruits in the product is something that we are extremely proud of. Sterling Products is slowly but surely building a name and reputation of working with small agro-farmers and agro-businesses, supporting the industry in Guyana. Our CSR programme is specifically designed to work with small agro-processors and when we do our report next year, we will be highlighting a significant part of that programme that we have spent over the last year developing with some extremely good results,” he said.
Adding to the CEO’s comments on SPL’s support for the local agro-processing industry, Assistant Manufacturing Manager, Sharlene Roberts said, “We count it as a privilege to use local fruits and fresh cow’s milk. This is something that we are very proud of because we are supporting local agro-processing and the farmers who are involved in the industry in Guyana.”

FIVE FLAVOURS
In his remarks, Chairman of the Board, Dr. Leslie Chin pointed out that the introduction of Yo’great was a major step for the company and one which has had positive results to date. He said despite several challenges, Yo’great must be seen as a stepping stone for the company and an indication of greater things to come.
Yo’great yogurt is currently available in five flavours: sour sop, pineapple, guava, strawberry and vanilla and is available at locations countrywide.