Commercial ties between Guyana and Suriname are on the threshold of being further strengthened as a well-known local entrepreneur prepares for tomorrow’s opening in Georgetown of a franchise of one of Paramaribo’s biggest and most successful private sector enterprises.
The 115-year-old Fernandes Group is one of Suriname’s genuine commercial giants. It is not only the market leader in non-alcoholic beverages but also, through its bread, pastry, snacks and ice cream, Suriname’s leading food company, it says. Through its distribution company the Fernandes Group also represents a range of imported international brands such as Grace, Agio, Appleton, Freixenet, Gouda (cheese) and Roma (pasta).
Fernandes Automotive is the industry leader representing world class brands such as Honda, Isuzu, Volkswagen and Subaru.
Here in Guyana the recently established Fernandes Bread Box will be trading mostly in breads and pastries with much of the preparation done by the Fernandes Group’s bakery establishment in Suriname and finished here in Georgetown.
The business roots of the Guyanese owner of the new franchise, Brian Yong, are also in the bakery sector. Yong’s Bakery, an 85-year-old establishment started by Brian’s grandfather, is currently being modernized. The third generation entrepreneur has, however, moved on, his name having been popularized on account of his investments in the companies, MovieTowne and Broadband.
The use of overseas franchises as ad-ons to existing business enterprises is fast becoming a favoured business model in Guyana. Yong told Stabroek Business that apart from the popularization of the high-quality breads and pastries offered by the Bread Box, his focus is on breathing new life into the legacy left by his grandfather. He concedes that modernization in the bakery industry in Guyana and the advent of the contemporary competition had left Yong’s Bakery behind. He believes that the opening of the new Middle Street Bread Box presents an opportunity for the re-branding of his grandfather’s bakery. Accordingly, visitors to the Bread Box will also encounter some traditional Yong’s Bakery products on display.
Yong is mindful too of the expectations of a Guyanese population that craves variety and many of whom, these days, travel to Suriname frequently.
Tomorrow’s launch of the Fernandes Bread Box follows the opening in Georgetown, two years ago, of the Surinamese-owned Rossignol Butchery. Yong is careful to point out, however, that in the case of the Bread Box, the establishment is operating under a franchise.
The two operations, however, are not without their similarities. Both entities ferry raw materials and partially finished products across the Corentyne River in refrigerated trucks to complete production here.
Fernandes Bread Box has been up and running for the past week and when Stabroek Business visited the establishment earlier this week it was already attracting a trickle of customers.
The Bread Box may not be the first local establishment to offer a wide and exotic range of breads locally though the company might well boast that it has broadened that range. On Wednesday the establishment’s display cases were adorned with a range of baguettes, petit pains, Ciabatta, multigrain and low-sodium breads. Prices range from around $700 per multi-grain loaf to $340 per loaf for regular white bread. Customers can also anticipate a regular fare of typical Surinamese-baked cakes and pastries and ice creams imported under one of the Fernandes Group’s many franchises.
Yong’s focus is on creating a customer-friendly establishment, so that, naturally, he focuses on the Bread Box’s emphasis on delivering fresh products. He is also mindful that officials from the Surinamese parent company visit Guyana regularly to ensure that service standards are maintained.
The 12 employees currently serving the Bread Box outlet were all afforded a one-week training programme delivered by trainers from Paramaribo.
Yong talks about expansion, hinting at the possibility that by year-end other branches will be established at Diamond and in Georgetown. His immediate concern, however, is with the consolidation of the existing outlet and with meeting the challenge of growing a market for the range of new products which the Bread Box is offering.
