AT 39, Mala Hookumchand is quietly redefining what it means to inherit a family legacy.

From Number 41 Village, West Coast Berbice, she is up before dawn daily to manage a fully licensed butcher shop and slaughter facility—work that many consider physically demanding and traditionally reserved for men.

For Hookumchand, however, this is more than a business; it is a responsibility passed down through generations.

That responsibility was shaped long before she fully understood it.

In 1997, her grandfather established the family’s butchery trade, supplying beef to markets in Linden and Georgetown.

After his passing, her father continued the operation until his death last year. As the only sibling to pursue this path, Hookumchand knew the duty to preserve the family’s livelihood rested squarely with her.

“I was born and grew up in this business, so it was up to me to keep it going,” she said.

After completing her secondary education, she became more actively involved in the butcher shop.

When her grandfather died, much of her time shifted to overseeing both the retail and slaughter operations.

Although she admits she was not fully prepared for leadership, the years of hands-on experience allowed her to adjust quickly and take control when it mattered most.

Stepping into this role also meant confronting the realities of being the only female butcher along the West Coast Berbice corridor.

There were doubts from some who questioned her capability because of her gender.

Nevertheless, through discipline, knowledge, and consistency, she gradually earned respect and built a solid reputation across the region.

As her confidence grew, so did the reach of her business. Today, her establishment supplies fresh, wholesome beef to customers and provides slaughtering services for butcheries along the East Coast Demerara and in Georgetown.

The operation provides steady employment for a truck driver and four other workers who assist at both the butcher shop and the slaughter facility.

To maintain this level of service, Hookumchand relies on trusted cattle farmers from Region Five and other areas for her supply of high-quality animals.

Each animal undergoes careful inspection before slaughter, reflecting her commitment to quality and food safety.

This commitment is strengthened by her training and ongoing support from the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA).

As a licensed butcher trained by GLDA, she benefits from routine visits by the Region Five Livestock Extension Officer, who conducts ante-mortem inspections to ensure animals are healthy and disease-free.

After slaughter, the Environmental Health Department certifies the meat as fit for consumption.

On average, her facility processes between 10 and 15 cattle weekly, depending on supply and demand.

Beyond inspections, Hookumchand is extremely pleased with the increasing number of farmers’ training programmes offered by GLDA, which she believes are essential for the livestock sector’s overall development.

The theoretical and practical knowledge she gained from these sessions has sharpened her ability to select high-quality animals for her business.

In fact, she recently participated in a specialised training programme focused on creating awareness about bovine tuberculosis and bovine brucellosis, as Guyana advances efforts to achieve disease-free status and expand trade prospects.

The training was conducted by Veteffects, with support from GLDA and funding provided by the Government of Guyana (GOG) and the European Union (EU) through the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

Her optimism about the sector’s future is also reflected in her support for the construction of the modern GLDA abattoir at Onverwagt, which she believes will further strengthen sanitary standards and improve the quality of meat entering the market.

Despite the physical demands of her work and lingering societal perceptions, Hookumchand takes immense pride in her profession.

Butchery, she explained, is a skilled trade requiring precision, sanitation, technical knowledge, and dedication—qualities she applies every day.

Through resilience, courage, and an unwavering commitment to her family’s tradition, Mala Hookumchand continues to demonstrate that expertise in butchery is not defined by gender, but by skill, professionalism, and determination.

This butcher is very certain about one thing: she is there to stay and uphold a family-oriented business that will remain intact in the family tree for generations to come, and is essentially laying that foundation.