NO authentic Guyanese Christmas is truly complete without a bottle of something special. As Christmas approaches, Guyanese everywhere are gearing up for the holidays and the celebrations that usher in the new year. If you are looking for something local to bring an extra kick to your festivities, ‘Dixie’s Punch De Crème’ may be just what you’re looking for. With a series of Guyanese-inspired crème liqueurs, Dixie’s hopes to add a taste of tradition to this holiday season.

Dixie Jordan, a 33-year-old entrepreneur from Buxton, has built a vibrant and thriving business that is putting Guyanese flavours on the map. Her journey, shaped by years of training in Trinidad, began unexpectedly during the pandemic when she found herself back in Guyana. Born and raised in Buxton, Dixie spent 15 years in Trinidad, where she learned the art of manufacturing alcohol spirits and working with natural ingredients.

“I used to live in Trinidad, where I was trained and qualified to manufacture and work with alcohol spirits and create products from local natural stuff to create a new flavour. So that’s where my background comes from: manufacturing in Trinidad. I lived in Trinidad for about 15 years, and then I migrated back home four years now,” she explained.

However, her return to Guyana wasn’t originally meant to be permanent. Like so many others, the pandemic caught Dixie in Guyana.
“I didn’t originally migrate back home to stay. I migrated to pass through Guyana during the pandemic. But the pandemic caught me in Guyana, and then I was here, and I was doing nothing. That’s how I started my business and my brand. I started working from there to create what I have now,” she told Pepperpot Magazine.

Dixie credits Trinidad’s high standards for influencing her work ethic and the quality of her products, as well as the pride she feels in her all-natural products.
“They have very high standards. They are very patriotic, and they take pride in whatever they do. And when they do it, they want it to be authentic and organic,” she said.
On the other hand, Dixie noticed that many Guyanese often favoured imported goods over local offerings.

“I wanted to use our local products that we have here and create something that Guyanese could be shocked with. This is a local product, and it tastes so good,” she said.
This need for natural products in the market is what shaped Dixie’s Punch De Creme. As she shared, “I wanted to bring back that concept that we have good stuff here, and we can create stuff that people want to have and brag about.”

Dixie’s first step into the crème liqueurs business came when her cousin asked her to make a unique spin on a Trinidadian holiday staple called Punchy Crème.
“Trinidad has a product that they manufacture at Christmas time called Punchy Crème. It is very popular around the Christmas season,” she explained. Her cousin was working on a project for the University of Guyana and wanted to include five different flavours of Punchy Crème.

Putting her creativity and innovation to the test, Dixie successfully created the flavours, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
“She gave it to people after the project was finished. People were asking if we were selling that. That is how I initially started. She was like, ‘You should sell it.’ I was not working at the time, so I was like, ‘Why not?’”

From there, the business quickly gained traction. As Dixie explained, “The first thing I made was a case of the original. It sold out in a minute. I went to a party, and I took some of the cake and put it on the table. When people tried it, they were like, ‘What is this?’ There was a guy; he was so impressed. He was like, ‘Could you get more?’ I said, ‘Yes, of course.’”
One of Dixie’s standout creations is the Capadulla liqueur, which has become her best-seller.

“The most popular is the Capadulla. Capadulla is the aphrodisiac,” Dixie explained. The inspiration for Capadulla came from her customers.
“What I found was people buying liqueurs, and they said if you add Capadulla to this thing, it would be real good. I was like, ‘That is a good idea.’ I went home and contemplated it. I sat down and decided how I was going to extract the flavours from the bark and add it to the linden. I didn’t know how it would react,” she said.
With guidance from one of her trainers in Trinidad, Dixie developed a process to perfect the flavour.

As Christmas approaches, Dixie is excited to see her liqueurs play a role in holiday celebrations.
“Our liqueur is pure Guyanese tradition and culture. The flavours, for instance, the original, is a combination of spices and rum and crème. The flavours remind us of home. It reminds you of Guyana. It reminds you of when you were young and your grandmother used to make porridge. That flour porridge. That kind of flavour that you get with the spices, and you put plenty of milk and that rich, homey vibe,” she said.

She believes her products offer something unique for the season.
“Adding that to your wine or adding that to your alcohol selection or your alcohol bar is only greatness. You can brag and say, ‘Look at this, you know, this fancy thing we have here that is made.’ You can give it to the overseas guys that come home. They come home for holidays. They will love these liqueurs. All of the flavours.”

Dixie sees her liqueurs not just as drinks but as a way to share Guyanese culture with the world.
“Something like this in your alcohol selection will be perfect for Christmas. Perfect for gifting, especially for foreigners. People will come home. They will love you for having one of our liqueurs.”