There is nothing more important to a mother than her children. This is proven by 50-year-old Marcia Gonsalves, who ventured off into the world of business all in an effort to support her family and spend more time with her two children.
According to Gonsalves, she wanted to spend more time with her children when they got home from school while still bringing in a source of income to support her family.
“I started the business because I wanted to be home with my children and as well make an income so I can send them to school, so they could get a good education…and when they come home, I could be here with them,” Gonsalves told INews.
‘Marcia’s Products’, which was birthed in 2014, adds a difference to the Guyanese market with the production of a variety of cassava bread and other organic products. This unique business features a variety of unique products, which include square and round cassava bread, garlic- and onion-flavoured cassava bread, coconut oils, cassareep, and more.
Gonsalves shared that when she first started some nine years ago, she was only making the round cassava bread and cassareep; however, as the years went by and her skills became more advanced, she started to expand her business and introduce more products.
This hardworking businesswoman shared that most times she works alone, but usually gets help from her husband and daughter, when they get home from time to time. She also hires part-time workers to assist her occasionally, depending on her workload.
Gonsalves usually makes 100 packs of each variety of cassava bread on a monthly basis to supply her customers. In the future, she hopes to supply markets outside of Guyana and reach the needs of more of her international customers. While speaking to this publication, she shared that she has customers as far away as from Canada and England, who buy her products to take home for their families.
“My future plan for the business is for it to be expanded where I could supply the markets out of Guyana; to supply customers out of the country. Because a lot of customers come in the country…and they purchase from me to take home for their family,” she revealed.
In her business, the biggest challenge Gonsalves has faced is getting the amount of cassava that she needs on demand. She highlighted that her farm is not producing as much, so she usually has to buy from other farmers, which poses a challenge when the crop is not in season. Given that she lives a distance away from her farm, and would visit only once a week, she has trouble with termites destroying her crops, which puts her business at a greater disadvantage.
Gonsalves shared that being a part of the Uncapped Market place brings her lots of opportunities in terms of connecting with existing customers, meeting new ones, and getting feedback on how she can better her products and deliver the best items to customers.
Persons who are interested in purchasing Gonsalves’s products can find them in supermarkets such as Bounty, DSL, Coss Cutters, and Food Max; or can buy them at the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) facility located at 7 Robb & Alexander Streets, Lacytown, Georgetown, Guyana. Persons can also call to order at (592) 642-6341, or visit her location at 101-102 Ivan Road, Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara.
Uncapped Marketplace is a marketplace created by the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) that brings businesses together to facilitate exchange in commerce and aid in their individual growth. It connects buyers with sellers of authentically made Guyanese products, and harnesses the strengths of small and medium-sized agro-processors.
