—receives ‘Made in Guyana’ certification
LEADING manufacturer of ground spices and seasoning mixes, Roy’s Extra Quality Products, located at Adventure, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), on Monday last, received its ‘Made in Guyana’ certification from the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS).

The company also opened a state-of-the-art facility which will be used to display its products for retail and wholesale purposes. Roy’s Extra Quality Products was established over 27 years and currently boasts a diverse catalogue of over 180 unique products.
The company is a family business that is managed by the owner and General Manager Lakiraj ‘Roy’ Singh; Devkumar Singh as the Production Manager; Haymant Singh as the Procurement Specialist; Mrs. Leelawattie Singh as the head of Finance, Accounting and Quality Assurance and Mr. Govinda Singh who oversees Marketing and Sales. Apart from family members, 10 persons are currently employed at the facility.

The birth of the company came about when a friend overseas asked Roy to grind some spices for him. The result of the spices was impressive and as such the friend advised him to open his own manufacturing facility. The journey then started in 1996 with Roy and his family manufacturing just four products; due to the company’s reputation, quality and flavor, recognition was gained.
“We started in a modest 200-square-foot kitchen at my dad’s residence; this space was extended to approximately 900 square feet, in a separate building, but it too reached its limits as our product count continued to climb,” said the Marketing and Sales Manager, Govinda Singh.

The current processing facility spans 6000 square feet for storage and processing complemented by an additional 1200 square feet allocated for offices and kitchen/lunchroom. The facility, he said, is equipped with a modern state-of-the-art processing and packaging machinery that catapult their production capabilities to new heights. With the expansion he said it will cater for both local and international markets.
Govinda said the ‘Made in Guyana’ certification brings immense pride since it shows that the company meets the stringent criteria set by the GNBS.

Meanwhile, Roy said that his company was propelled by determination and boundless passion. In 1996, he lived in an incomplete house that was made from mere zinc and plastic; he had a family of six to feed.

He was a farmer, a tailor, a local snow cone man from Essequibo to Skeldon. And then he started to trade spices; buying and selling whole spices at the Essequibo market. He said that he then started his journey with basic tools producing garam masala, geera, curry powder and coriander with handwritten labels.

In 1998, he acquired a coffee mill, despite not having electricity to operate it at the time. Determined as ever, he took a loan from a relative to cover the cost. Once the Guyana Power and Light installed electricity, Roy witnessed a significant boost in production output, far exceeding his expectation. Today, his business has become a household name offering over 80 packaged spices.