EARLIER this year, the Minister of Human Services and Social Security created a tagline: “Made by Guyanese women for the world”, for the annual We Lift Women Expo that was held in March.
On its own, the tagline spoke about taking products and services created by Guyanese women to national, regional and international stages.
In keeping with this, four women, all of whom would have participated in training sessions held by the Ministry’s Women’s Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN) programme, recently pitched their business ideas directly to leaders of major organisations and diplomats for opportunities to showcase their brands, build connections, and put their businesses on the radar of potential partners and supporters.
The first of these women was Christine Persaud-Kishun, the founder of Christine’s Meraki.
Persaud-Kishun explained that Meraki is a Greek concept that “describes doing something with soul, creativity, and live, leaving a little piece of yourself in everything that you do.”
The founder said her business specialises in artistry in the form of henna art for all occasions: weddings and engagements, and crafts, which cover a wide range of items, such as wooden and acrylic signages, floral and handcrafted pieces etcetera. Customers also have the option to have photos printed in a 3D format in what she calls a shadow box.
“What started in 2018 as a mere hobby became a booming business, generating sales of approximately $4 million and serving over 300 customers near and far. With our products even travelling abroad, making it safe to say my products have travelled further than I have,” she said.
While highlighting the positives are good, Christine also mentioned her challenges and hopes to expand her business.
She shared that to resolve her outsourcing issues, it would be best for her to purchase a X2 PS2 desktop model which will cost approximately $1.5 million and allow her to create her own pieces.
“This machine also pairs well with a large-size plotter, which is the HP Designjet, valued at approximately $600,000,” she remarked.
Meanwhile, Shawnette Fiedtkou’s Shoney’s Styles, is based in Linden, Region Ten, and was inspired by Fiedtkou’s late mother.
For her mother, sewing was more than putting thread to fabric, it was freedom, and her escape from poverty. Unfortunately, her mother passed away at the age of 39, which meant she could no longer live that dream.
“I took it upon myself to build it not just for her, but for us. In Linden and across Guyana, women and girls struggle to find clothes that fit their bodies well.” she said.
Catering exclusively to women and girls, and occasionally men, the ultimate goal of Shoney’s Styles is to introduce a local production line that is based in Linden that will deliver quality, speed and that “perfect fit”, all at once.
Shawnette’s vision? to have an 18-station sewing room, where more orders can be completed at the rate of 400 garments per week.
Noting the high demand for custom clothing, Shawnette stated that approximately $600,000 will be required to create three additional workstations to get started on achieving that goal.
East Gate Products is a household name, but behind it is Stacy Reece. East Gate is a 100 per cent woman-owned agro-processing business established in 2021, manufacturing value-added products that were inspired by four generations of recipes. These include a garlic fusion marinade, exotic pepper sauce and many others.
A certified Guyanese brand, East Gate’s owner said her company offers a solution to time consuming marinating preparation by introducing ready-to-use marinating sauces and condiments.
Finally, Ijoema’s Beauty, a high-quality plant-based hair and skincare production line, owned by Carlotta Mars.
“All our products are available in Suriname and in Guyana. We’re extending our operation from Suriname to Guyana. With this, we expect an increase in distribution, increase in sales, increase in brand awareness. Under a small production scale in 2023, we continue to rebuild after the effect of coronavirus. At that year, we had a 36 per cent sale and we jumped straight to 556 per cent sales in 2025. We have distributors in Suriname. We have distributors in Guyana. We sell products online and we recently opened our Ijoema’s pick up shop in Georgetown,” she said.
The Ijoema’s Beauty owner is asking for US$20,000, which would be used to establish a production space in Guyana, along with the acquisition of the right equipment and machinery for a larger production scale.
