-creator wants to increase production

ONE day in 2006, Carol Angel who was working at a full-time job with a company, went looking for garlic-herb spread to pair with bread for herself and colleagues, but could not find it in any supermarket.

The 60-year-old businesswoman who owns Angel Foods, the producer of garlic-herb spread, pepper flakes, steak seasoning and cheese spread told the Guyana Chronicle recently that it was a long, tedious process for her products to be on sale on the supermarket shelves and the Guyana Shop.

Dejected by the scarcity of the spread, Angel went home and after some thought, she realised she had garlic and butter. Using the two fresh ingredients, she made her own version of garlic herb spread.

Angel told this publication that everybody, including her children, who tasted her creation related to her that it was good. It was after those positive reviews that she toyed with the idea of developing her own recipe.

“I had it in my head, toying with the idea after my eldest son encouraged me to put it together so we can have it anytime. Then my boys were in school and I was thinking of ways to earn extra cash, so the idea came to me to make it into a small business,” she said.

She reported that she created the recipe, and her son volunteered to make a video of the process.

The businesswoman related that she got herself together and after the recipe was fully developed, she went about to get it passed at the level of the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department. In the first instance, she was told that the recipe had an overwhelming acidic content.

Angel felt disappointed and went home to try again. After reworking the recipe, she returned to the entity with a sample to test. As luck would have it, her product was passed and she later had the registration for a quality local product. After acing the packaging and labelling process, her product was ready to be sold.

She stated that with a full-time job, it was challenging to balance both and at the same time doing many things to get her product on the local market. However, with the help of her sons, she managed to get it on shelves.

Angel disclosed that her then boss was very understanding and gave her time off to get the necessary things done. She said she is thankful for the support she received to become an entrepreneur.

She pointed out that her boss often encouraged her to never give up when her sample was rejected on the first try. She had wanted to quit because the running around to get things in place was overwhelming.

The businesswoman said she went to Bounty Supermarket with her product, but they took only three containers. Overtime, the product became a household name and more and more of it were sold.

The mother of three told the Guyana Chronicle that today, her business is thriving and if she expands, she will have to employ people on a permanent basis to satisfy demand for the product.

She operates from her home in Diamond, East Bank Demerara, where she has a small facility on the lower flat of the building.

Angel explained that she is registered with all relevant agencies including the New Guyana Marketing Corporation and the Guyana National Bureau of Standards. She has a high-quality, high-standard product that has met all the requirements for both local sale and export.

“The demand for the product is there but due to some challenges I have been producing on a small scale. That will change though, due to the opening of the export market,” she said.

Angel gets support from her son and nephew and collectively they manage Angel Foods.

Recently, she was among several local agro-processors who went overseas for a trade fair and expo. She represented Guyana well with her products and it gave her the opportunity to market them abroad.

Since her invention of the local garlic-herb spread, Angel said the reviews have been good and encouraging which keeps her inspired and motivated to continue producing it.