Allan and Marysia Downes are celebrating the first anniversary of the launch of Kitchen Kraft an enterprise which they both insist is concerned as much with offering Guyanese the highest standards in kitchen, dining and house ware items as it is with bringing them a measure of success as entrepreneurs.
Last October, the couple opened the Middle street enterprise to the public, distributing the internationally renowned Kitchen Craft® brand. Celebrating its 160th anniversary this year, Kitchen Craft® is one of the largest and best known kitchen ware companies in the United Kingdom and offering almost 3,000 types of dining and house ware for sale. The Downeses are the sole distributors of Kitchen Craft® products in Guyana.
While Kitchen Kraft is still in the process of celebrating its first anniversary, the Downeses themselves are no strangers to business. Marysia is the daughter of the legendary Guyanese businessman the late JW Potter, whose distribution enterprise survived the peaks and troughs of the Guyana economy. She was, she conceded, born into business. Allan Downes can perhaps best be described as a farmer. He owns and has been operating RA Downes Investments, a farming operation at Princess Hall on the West Bank of the Essequibo River, for 12 years.
They both said that they have had “a good year.” Building a client base over the past year has had its challenges but it is not difficult to determine that the Downes’ are fighters and in her own determination Marysia reflects the dogged determination of her late father. “During the tough times he simply refused to close his doors,” she said.
The advent of the Kitchen Craft® distributorship had been preceded by earlier distributorships including Dylon® fabric paint. It took a year of contemplation before the Downeses finally decided to embrace the Kitchen Craft® idea. The brand had been introduced to them by a friend, Paul Tucker, in 2008. The vaga-ries of the local market, however, dictated a measure of caution. “We needed to be sure that Guyana was ready for the Kitchen Craft® brand,” Marysia said.
The available evidence suggested that Guyana was indeed ready for Kitchen Craft®. Allan explained that the attractive, high-quality range has proven attractive to new homeowners keen to infuse an element of taste into their kitchens. Kitchen Kraft has also proven popular with gift seekers, consumers with sufficient disposable income and less well-off painstaking collectors of kitchen sets. The latter secure their acquisitions, mostly kitchen sets, one, perhaps a few pieces at a time.
If the atmosphere inside the Middle Street business premises is attractive in its newness, the sheer beauty of the Kitchen Craft® products cries out for an elaborate showroom. The Downeses are contemplating new premises but they are not preoccupied with their present limitations of space. Their size and their intimacy have been turned into customer attractions.
Apart from regular customers who retain an interest in adding tasteful objects to their kitchens, Kitchen Kraft attracts gift lists as well as a growing number of affluent people.
The UK-based manufacturer and wholesaler of Kitchen Craft® products is a family business originally established in 1850 by Thomas Plant. More than a century and a half later the company is still owned and managed by direct descendants of the founder. While the essence of the original business has been maintained the company has evolved, developing over the years to become a respected consumer brand for all types of kitchen products and accessories.
The enterprising spirit of the Downeses has meant that Guyanese now enjoy unparalleled choice of all types of cooking, baking, preparation, serving and bar items. With such an enormous variety of products, it is difficult to believe that Kitchen Craft® specializes.
The Downes’ are decidedly upbeat about their venture. They are enthused by the role which television and the internet have played in enhancing local interest in the kitchens. Allan said the popularization of Kitchen Kraft may even have been helped by the proliferation of highly popular cooking shows on television. “What we have found is that men too have an interest in cooking and in tasteful kitchens,” Allan said.
Marysia combines a keen sense of contemporary entrepreneurship with the traditional business values that built and sustained her late father’s trading reputation. She said she and Allan were propelled by a sense of “responding to a need.” Once they were satisfied that the service would be welcomed they simply introduced it. Allan said they supply large orders made by restaurants and other establishments while restricting retail sales to their Middle Street operation. It is their way of protecting the brand.
Both insist that the integrity of the brand is the highest priority. “One of the obligations that we have is to honour warranties. There is no question of querying a warranty claim,” Allan said.
Kitchen Kraft has set itself the challenge of providing its customers with a one stop shop for all types of kitchenware. Allan parades a pile of Kitchen Craft® catalogues, which are reprinted each year to introduce new collections regularly in order to reinforce the company’s position as a leader in kitchenware innovation and trends.
Here in Guyana, Allan and Marysia Downes do little to conceal their delight over having been able to bring a touch of class to Guyana through Kitchen Craft® products. Marysia said while they are contemplating the growth of their distributorship they intend to continue to be selective in the brands they embrace. The standard which they have sought to set has compelled them to be mindful of compromise.
