The rich aroma of the indigenous dish, Pepperpot, is the common sign that it’s Christmas morning in many Guyanese households. For those who may not know how to prepare this meal or are spending Christmas away from home, a local business has taken Pepperpot one step further to transform it into an instant meal for you.
Ashdel’s Enterprise, located at 7th Street Paradise, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was this year certified under the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) Permit to use the Made in Guyana Certification Mark Programme. This allows the company to use the GNBS approved standards mark on its Instant Beef Pepperpot (100g), Instant Veggie Pepperpot (100g) and Instant Plantain Porridge.
Proprietress of the business, Grace Parris explained that her venture was launched in 2018 following calls for locally made foods to be included in the MREs or Meals-Ready-to-Eat kits used by Guyanese soldiers when deployed to the hinterland regions.
“We were shown what the foreign [kits] had – it was a complete kit of things to eat which you did not have to cook…and what I was tasked with is making our local food in a ready to eat format. I started working, trying to package and seal things that could last for, you know, a long period of time…”, she explained.
Parris explained that she initially began making instant chicken stew, but this product was unsuccessful, leading to the addition of Cassareep which is the staple product in Guyanese Pepperpot. Upon learning of the benefits of cassareep in the product, the businesswoman switched from chicken to beef and commenced the Instant Beef Pepperpot product.
This product and the Instant Veggie Pepperpot, are sold in boxes with the sauces in separate packets from the meat or chunks.
“It started in just a regular packaging. But then I attended a training sponsored by USAID where we were told to observe how people handle our products. When I observed the handling of the product, I did not like it, and then I switched to the boxes”, she explained.
“It is Pepperpot, as we all know what Pepperpot is. It has the cassareep, and it is made just like how the traditional Pepperpot is made where you cook and add your spices and stuff like that”, Parris added.
For consumers who are concerned about the preservatives added to the products, Parris explained that the products are naturally preserved through agro-processing; therefore, there are no added preservatives to the instant meals. She likened the product to other canned food imported and sold on the local market, noting that her product is safe and has a shelf life of one year.
With increasing demands for the products this Christmas season, the businesswoman indicated that the reviews have been good.”
Parris said, getting her products certified under the Permit to use the Made in Guyana Certification Mark Programme has significantly increased her sales. Speaking about her decision to pursue certification, she added: “Well I believe in standards; my product is a traditional product that every guy knows what it is…and so to my mind, that Made in Guyana brand gave me a marketing tool for people to say it is Guyanese, and it is local and made to a particular standard.”
The Made in Guyana Standards Mark is a registered mark that aims to provide recognition to locally manufactured products on the local and international markets and is a signature of quality for authentic Guyanese Products.
The Proprietress encouraged other businesses to get certified under the programme.
“The process was smooth, and I would say quick. The certification also equipped me with the know-how to address the increased demand for my products without losing quality. Let’s make the ‘Made in Guyana’ a standard that we can be proud of. It is a seal, a logo that is recognizable, and you know that the product with the seal is a quality product. No need to wonder if it was made in less than perfect conditions”, she emphasized.
The MIG certified Instant Beef Pepperpot (100g), Instant Veggie Pepperpot (100g) and Instant Plantain Porridge, along with other certified products can be found in the Bounty Supermarkets, DSL and the Guyana Shop.