Lack of satisfaction in a local product was what birthed the much-talked-about pepper stew being sold under the JoFa Products brand and if one is to go on the word of business owner Faye Gilgious-Greaves, it is indeed a ‘hot’ product on the market.
The pepper stew and sweet pepper jelly being sold under the brand have set tongues wagging and business woman believes she is onto something which will soon be on the international market.
Her signature pepper stew can be used on food, as a dip or even to marinate fish. The jelly can be used as a spread, topping, glaze or even a filling. Other JoFa products are hot sauces, seasoning, pickles and mauby.
Just off of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security’s third annual Women Empowering, Leading, Innovative, and Flourishing Together (WE LIFT) expo, which was held at Movietowne on April 15 and 16, the business woman said her spirits are lifted and she is excited to see what the future holds.
During an interview she shared that she was anxiously awaiting her opportunity to be part of the expo since last year and as soon as she saw the advertisement she applied immediately, “with the hope that I was going to get through”.
Gilgious-Greaves said the expo lifted her spirits even though she went in on a high as she had recently participated in the Barbados AgroFest expo and another recent event, UncappeD. Initially she was in a bind as both expos were being held almost simultaneously but then she was given a reprieve. “… As fate would have it, WE LIFT was pushed back and it gave me a better opportunity…,” she said.
“So pepper stew and sweet pepper jelly really got me going to expo after expo,” she gushed.
Speaking of her journey to become a business owner, the retired social worker shared that she was employed for some 21 years before retiring. She was still young and apart from making money she wanted to be occupied and decided to venture into the world of business.
“It is like I now I really find my passion. I was like asking why this didn’t happen all the time. But something had to go in order for something to come along,” she said of her business experience thus far.
Initially she made and sold craft items over the years but this was done periodically.
“But then I said to myself there is something more I can do, something more I can add and I said maybe I can try some pepper sauce and green seasoning,” she recalled. .
Being a good business woman she surveyed the market and found that it was already flooded with those products.
“And then poops the pepper stew popped up as a result of another product I purchased and that was it,” she said enthusiastically.
The business woman expounded that she and her husband did not get the satisfaction from a product they had purchased and he decided to do “something to make it better. When he did prepare this pepper stew – because he is the creator of the pepper stew – I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ This thing light up the whole house and this thing smell so good and I wanted to eat it even though I don’t eat pepper. I had to taste it.”
They shared samples of his creation and the feedback was tremendous as people wanted “seconds and thirds”. They decided to include the pepper stew and later the jelly among the craft they sold and people hardly noticed the sandals and tie-dye material that were on sale as they were interested in the red hot stew.
Asked why she ventured into business, Gilgeous-Graves quickly said, “Because I need money.”
She explained that she is retired but “I still need to do things. I still have bills to pay and things like that. But put aside that, I am a person who don’t like to sit around doing nothing. So as long as I have the energy I would always be active in something or the other”.
Gilgious-Graves believes she is onto something with her stew and jelly as she noted that people are always interested in finding a new taste, a new flavour for the table and that is at the forefront for her.
“Some may ask, could sweet pepper actually make jelly? And they are willing to try it,” she said, adding that each product has its own clients.
For her, remaining humble is the way forward and even as she sets her sights on the international market she would always remember she did not know everything and was taught by others along the way. She is always willing to help and guide others.
“Humbleness cause you to learn, even when you get negative comments, be humble and accept it and see where you went wrong and correct it,” the business woman advised.
Key to the world of business is registration and JoFa Products has been registered over a year.
The pepper stew and sweet pepper jelly can be purchased at the Guyana Shop or Survival Supermarket. Gilgious-Greaves can also be contacted on 689-6420.
