A couple on a mission to grow their business

Gaindaw and Sumintra Persaud had the lives and challenges of many families in the Mahaicony region. Working in agriculture, the couple strived to build their home and future. When the flood hit, however, their life was thrown into a whirlwind. In a region of Guyana where agriculture is the main event, heavy constant rain washed vital crops away. Farms that countless families depended on, the Persuads included, were demolished. Seeking to make a new life, the couple ventured to the community of Hope several miles away. Leaving a life of agriculture behind, the duo sought out new horizons.

Mahaicony is miles away from Hope, but like most communities in Guyana, they share people and history. Gaindaw and Sumintra were both born and raised in the Mahaicony area. Their home is a community where people eat, breathe and live agriculture. From vast rice fields ready for exportation to the kitchen gardens everyone’s mother had. Unsurprisingly, Gaindaw has worked in agriculture for most of his life. Farming was generational and was the family’s source of income for many years.

As Gaindaw explained,“We used to work with rice farmers in Mahaicony Creek. But the flooding caused a lot of trouble. My grandfather taught my father farming and he passed it down to me. So, from then, we moved on in life. We moved due to the flood, the water damaged the rice, and we were not getting jobs. So we moved to Hope.”

The decision to move to Hope was a truly brave one. However, the economic situation forced the family to make a swift decision more than a year ago. Settling down in Hope has been a pleasant experience. The family was in a new environment, with unfamiliar neighbours and new schools for their two children. This was a time of adjustment for the pair. But as much as they wanted time to figure out their next steps, they had a family to care for.

Seeking to take root in a new place, the pair turned to the only thing they truly understood: Agriculture. Gaindaw began working with various farmers in Hope, but his passion for planting was something he just could not leave behind. His wife explained that he started small, and the pair grew a kitchen garden. A few plants turned into more, and he began buying vegetables to resell at the market. He shared that, “We started a business with the achar and the plants. We started selling at Lusignan market and Mon Repos market. We started building up our business. From there we started to expand and my wife started to help me.”

Sumintra plays an integral role in the development of the family’s venture. While in Mahaicony, she worked in agriculture. Moving to Hope opened up a host of challenges as well as opportunities. She shared that, “We went through a lot of hard times in Mahaicony. The flood affected us in many ways just because he was working with rice farmers, and when they lost their crops, we had no job. We had no income.”

The move was a good decision, the family says. Hope is a community that has offered plenty of opportunities to the duo. A move made purely out of necessity said Sumintra. With the situation they faced in Mahaicony, moving was the only thing left to do, and it was a good thing they did. She shared that, “We decided to make a move because it was hard for the children. We were not able to provide for them. He started to work with people, and then he started selling at the market. He started planting things in the yard.”

Peppersauce is the most recent endeavour the two took up in Hope after Gaindaw came up with the idea. Neither of them knew if their business would strive. The business idea was sparked by Gaindaw, who pitched it to his wife. In a new community with different challenges, they took the risk and made their first batch of pepper sauce, and it was a hit among locals.

Sumintra explained that their business has grown from the first batch of just a single bottle. Although not branded, the couple’s product has impacted people. Consumers from all around Guyana have supported the couple’s business. As she explained, “I do not know if he saw other people doing achar, but he came home with the idea, and we started doing it. And I said we should try it. It went from one bottle to five and then 10 and 20 and they sold out. Now we have customers ordering from us.”

Sumintra and her husband are prime examples of what good cooperation can achieve. The two have expanded their business endeavours and are making sauces with everything from mangoes to tamarind. The two can be contacted via 657 7830 for a homemade sauce of your choice. The two say that they have no immediate intentions of leaving Hope. The community has become more than a home. It is the place where they rebuilt their life.