IT can be argued that it is the creativity of Guyanese businessmen and women which has allowed them to innovate since the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
For Phaedra Williams, this was definitely the case, because it led her to establish “Organic Pure Ginger Juice” as another alternative juice on the local market.
The Pepperpot Magazine sat down with Phaedra Williams, who detailed her experiences on how the business began.

“It began with my love for ginger. Ginger is a versatile rhizome that could be used in a variety of ways in numerous dishes or beverages, but cleaning and grating was such a task for me that oftentimes it would be left to dry up,” she explained. “One day I thought I should just extract the juice and see what happens. There and then, that problem was solved for me. I gave out samples to my church family and friends and solicited feedback which I took on board in arriving at a product that I am proud of today.”

She explained that regarding the organic aspect, because of consumers’ interest in health and wellness, her aim is to try and cater to the demands for such products. “We source our products from farmers who are producing organically, though they have not been certified by a certifying body,” Williams told the Pepperpot Magazine.

Williams further outlined that she has been involved in the business for a long time, but working in a job that required her to be on the job from 08:00hrs until late, and being involved in studies kept her occupied.

She also commented that being involved in the agro- processing type of business was further down on her timeline, but believes that one must be opportunistic as an entrepreneur.
“That happened when I was solving a problem for myself and thought this solution could work for other people who had a similar problem. I re-registered my business in September 2020 and launched Organic Pure Ginger Juice to the public in November, but my attention was divided between an important life event and the business, so the product really only took off from January of this year,” she was quoted as saying.

According to Williams, the product was launched during the pandemic. So, when asked to assess the impact of the pandemic on supply and demand of the product, she noted that for the last five months she has dealt with price increases for raw materials and remarked that this might be the case for most producers.

“My suppliers have alluded to scarcity and increased fuel prices, among other factors. I expect that by the last quarter, supply will return to normal levels, and this will impact final price,” Williams told Pepperpot Magazine.

Williams noted that the reception by customers to her products has been awesome.
She added that she has been pleased and pleasantly surprised by how her male customers responded to the popular “Organic Pure Ginger Juice”; however, she noted that was not a target segment initially.

Future of Organic Pure Ginger Juice
According to Williams, the immediate goal is to expand the reach in the domestic market. Currently, the product is available in Georgetown, lower East Coast and the East Bank of Demerara (up to Diamond), so there is tremendous opportunity to grow on the local market. “Obviously, I want the OrganiPure line of products in regional and international markets and I am working towards building export capacity and capability within a certain timeframe.

“I know what goes into getting ready to participate in trade fairs and expos, but it’s not just the event that you have to be ready for; it’s the after-event, where you try to capitalise on the opportunities that arise out of these types of events. So, am I in a position now to capitalise on these opportunities? To a certain extent, yes and no. But I am working on that,” Williams said.