UPROOTING one’s life from one place and going to another can sometimes be a challenge; however, in the case of Pamela Bradford, also known as “Pam”, the decision to leave her Vigilance, East Coast Demerara (ECD) home to migrate to Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) was an easy one which she did for love.

While she did have to leave some things behind, she took her most valuables gifts along with her when she migrated: her passion, talent, and drive to be a successful business woman.

Pam is the proud owner of “Pam’s Floral and Coconut Products”, a business which she built from scratch, with pure perseverance and utter determination.

“I’m originally from the East Coast but I married and I’ve been living in Linden since 2005… it has been great, because I had the opportunity to continue doing what I love when I moved. I came to Linden, and now I have my business in Linden,” the 52-year-old entrepreneur told this publication.

The mother of three disclosed that she had first began her floral business on a small scale before her move to Linden, making various unique floral arrangements for interested connoisseurs.

As she is someone who loves working with her hands, the floral business kept her occupied. Although she had to let go of the brand she built while living on Guyana’s eastern coast, she was excited to bring a new and fresh creative eye to floral arrangements in the place that would be her new hometown.

Ranging from wedding arrangements, household decorations and even funeral wreaths, Pam can pretty much turn any bunch of simple-looking flowers into an alluring piece of art work.

“I started my very first business back when I was on the East Coast. I have a floral shop; I do florals, I do stuff for weddings and so.”

Expanding
Wanting to explore more of her talents, Pam, some five years ago, decided to give her hand a try in the agriculture business as an agro-processor. She is one of the few agro-processors in the region that produces her very products locally.

Making Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Pam bottles and labels her very own produce from her home.

At the time when she started the business in Region 10, there seemed to be a high demand in the region for coconut oil and other related products. She said her inspiration came from another friend who was already in the business.

“At the time, a lot of persons were using it and I felt comfortable doing it and I enjoy doing it. I just love it because it keeps me occupied,” she said when asked about her coconut oil business.

Everything is made locally and Pam uses recycled plastic bottles for her finished product.

Over the years, she has managed to make a name for herself, even owning a stall in the local municipal market. Keeping her business alive and thriving, however, has been difficult in the recent years, especially as an agro-processor.

“It has a lot of challenges, it has a lot of struggles also, I think I can do a lot more… you don’t really get much help. If I got more help, my business probably would be much better.”

Pam further explained that much more support is needed for the local agriculture stakeholders in the region. She noted that while some strides have been made in recent months with a monthly farmers’ market, additional support will be welcomed by many stakeholders like herself, especially since many businesses are still finding ways to recover from the global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic which ‘washed up’ on Guyana’s shores in 2020.

Nevertheless, these challenges have not hindered Pam from striving to be her best as a business woman as she is now looking to tap in further into the agro-processing business to expand her coconut products to make other locally made skincare products from the very fruits bearing from the trees around her.

She is soon looking to officially launch a wide range of hair and skin products.

If you’re interested in a floral arrangement, or looking to purchase a bottle of extra virgin coconut oil you can contact Pam’s floral and coconut products on 686-6881.

In celebration of Linden Town Week, a Business Expo, Agriculture and Food Village is slated to be held on April 29 at Wismar Municipal Market from 08:00 hours.

Region 10 Agriculture Officer, Derrick Collins said the event will see some of the region’s business owners, farmers, agro-processors and other stakeholders showcasing their products and produce with the aim of further pushing the region as a local agriculture hub.