From a small kitchen in Lethem to the shelves of supermarkets – Local boy now a proud manufacturer
GINA, GUYANA, Saturday, January 21, 2017
Edison Sam is a proud husband and father of two. He is an equally proud local manufacturer. Sam is the producer of the Kataleya’s line of Products, which includes Sorrel and Mauby Drinks as well as Farine.
Sam who described himself as a family man, revealed that after marrying the love of his life and having two beautiful children, he would often ask himself, “am I providing enough and will I always have enough finances to sustain my family?” This led to him establishing his own business using mainly his commitment to hard work and his Granma’s favourite recipes.
A former minibus driver, Sam said he always wanted to work with himself.
Edson Sam and his beautiful daughter Kataleya, who the line of products is named after
Sam hails from Lethem, Region Nine and with obvious happy memories, he shared with Government Information Agency (GINA) that he grew up with his grandmother who was a whizz in the kitchen especially when it came to making local drinks and cooking farine.
“ Man those dishes by my grandma was the highlight of my day and weekends. That sorrel drink would just hit the spot as we would say now, and I thought to myself, why not share this with Guyana, and that is what I am doing,” Sam told GINA.
Since started his manufacturing business about three years ago and says he is satisfied with how it is growing. All the raw ingredients for his sorrel and mauby drinks are sourced from markets in Georgetown, while the cassava for the farine comes from Region Nine. Sam does all his manufacturing, packaging, marketing and distribution.
Using secrets passed on by his Granma, the production process for the beverages takes Sam about 24 hours while it could take up to a week to complete a batch of farine.
Kataleya Products
The beverages have a shelf life of one year while the farine has a shelf life of two. However, Sam explains that if the farine is properly stored it can last a lifetime.
Sam said not a lot of ‘town people’ may know about farine and if they do have knowledge about it, they are not sure on how to cook it. He said that when a person purchase a Kataleya farine, the package lists a website that has over 20 different dishes that persons can prepare using the farine.
Sam is passionate about being a local producer and encourages his fellow Guyanese to support and buy local. He pointed out that when citizens buy local products they not only support the manufacturers but it promotes the country as well.
“Listen, when we support each other, we are not only helping each other, but one day we will be in another country on vacation and we will run into person there and share with them about our country and things that make us unique. And if you know, food here is one of the things that make us unique, food is one of the things that unites the world and fosters new relationships,” Sam said.
The businessman is working towards having a factory that will expand his business. He is looking to expand his product line by offering honey, cassareep, more flavours of drinks, cassava bread and other products.
Edison Sam Katylea line of products can be found at the Guyana Shop, Robb and Alexander Streets and at many supermarkets. He can also be contacted on 592-628-2212 for orders.
By: Gabreila Patram