Simply Sweet is one of numerous emerging micro enterprises in the capital that is seeking to take advantage of the gradual growth in the cakes and pastries business to make a mark.
When enterprises of this nature, which, though still confined to modest family kitchens and are run, in every aspect of their operations, solely by a husband and wife team, that is an indication that they should be taken seriously. We found them far from the maddening crowd of vendors that had turned up at the Wedding Expo two weekends ago hoping for a market breakthrough in one of the myriad sectors. Eson and Denita Crandon and the Simply Sweet Stall were tucked away close to the eastern fence of Roraima Duke Lodge, carefully engaging visitors who had troubled themselves to stop by. It was, primarily, the fact that the young couple were sharing, seemingly equally, the chore of ‘selling’ simply sweet that encouraged the Stabroek Business to stop by.
Nothing about the Crandons’ kitchen in their 1086 Macaw Street, South Ruimveldt Gardens sounds even remotely extravagant but this is where, for the past two years they have been producing attractive cakes that continue to catch the eye of an increasingly approving market.
Denita is self-taught…more accurately, she began by following such instructions as were available via Google and YouTube and afterwards, infusing her own creative imagination into the process. The first challenge was to tackle a birthday cake for the daughter of a colleague. It’s always a greater challenge, they say, when you begin to do it “as a business.” There have since been family events. With businesses like Simply Sweet, family members are often the initial tasters, quality assessors, if you will. You venture into the wider market on the say-so of people who are prepared to offer unbiased opinions about the quality of your product.
This is their second Wedding Expo and they wanted us to say that they owe their presence at the event to the support of their sponsor, for the two years in a row, the Beharry Group’s Champion Products. It amounts to the $60,000.00 participation fee plus all the icing sugar and baking powder that they need. They regard this as a practical example of the kind of private sector support that can help modest businesses grow and they wanted their sponsors to know that they are grateful.
The Crandons were due to meet with the Small Business Bureau this week. They are hopeful about the outcomes but have already set their sights on growth……….a store, a display facility, more opportunities to display their offerings and perhaps, down the road, even a bakery. For the time being, they are hoping that this year’s second visit to the Roraima Group’s Wedding Expo will add value to their Simply Sweet venture.