SANDRA Craig has a lot in store for Guyana. With her innovative ideas and creative talent she has embarked on producing barbeque sauce made from local fruits. Her product is in demand both locally and overseas.

It all started in 2014 in her kitchen at her snackette at Orange Walk, Bourda, Georgetown. While she was in the process of grilling/barbequing some chicken for customers, she began making her own BBQ sauce with pineapple, abandoning the foreign-purchased one.

She related that the pineapple flavoured BBQ sauce was an instant hit among her customers who requested more and the idea of experimenting with local fruits was conceptualised.

During her experimenting stage, Craig, a devoted Muslim, tried other local fruits and it was very pleasing to customers who demanded more of the exciting and flavourful BBQ sauce; there was no turning back.

Today, she has seven flavours of BBQ sauce, including golden apple, soursop, tamarind, ginger and garlic, mango, passion and pineapple.

The BBQ sauce is retailed at $1000 per bottle while it is wholesaled for $800 per bottle and she is trying to make it even more affordable for locals, aiming for a price of $600 per bottle.

So far, Craig said a lot of people have been ordering the product for both local and overseas markets and she is optimistic her BBQ sauce will be available world-wide in the near future.

Craig, a mother of five, told the Pepperpot Magazine that she is very enthusiastic about propelling her small business to its full potential in exporting her product.

This effervescent woman has been operating a food snackette, selling mostly grilled and BBQ foods such as fish, Buffalo wings, chicken and beef using her own BBQ sauce at Orange Walk, Bourda.

But in her BBQ sauce business, all her five children are involved, making it a family business in which everyone plays a part and assists in their own way so she does not have to employ other people.

She began her food business in 2011 and also caters for events and parties. She is part of the local group–Women in Business—in which she is actively involved in expos to showcase her products.

Craig said she plans on going large scale soon and is hoping to market her products in Trinidad and Tobago and other places in the Caribbean, Canada, U.K, and the U.S.

She said, “I am always trying newer ingredients for BBQ sauce and have created two newer ones which are spicy fusion which has a subtle but nice tang and a sweet and sour BBQ sauce which is very tasty.”

Craig added that all her BBQ sauces are made from local ingredients, some of which will remain secrets. She is yet to produce her farine pie BBQ sauce which is similar to macaroni and cheese.

Her products are all healthy and of good nutritional value since they are made from local fruits.
Craig said, “No matter how small you start your business, it will grow and become profitable… despite the challenges it is better to be self-employed than work with people.”

She told the Pepperpot Magazine that she has no limitations and that she may try other fruits to produce more of her heart healthy and nutritional BBQ sauces.