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Katherine Bethel, managing director of B’s Homemade Ice Cream, speaks at the CARIRI/ Supermarket Association’s information session on supermarket requirements for small and medium-sized entrepeneurs at Centre Pointe Mall, Chaguanas on Wednesday. – Photo by Lincoln Holder

MANAGING director and co-founder of B’s Homemade Ice Cream, Katherine Bethel, has urged young business owners in the food and drink industry not to give up on their dreams despite the challenges they may face.

She was speaking at a conference held by the Supermarket Association and the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) in Chaguanas on Wednesday.

It was aimed at entrepreneurs to inform them of the supermarket requirements for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

She recalled the struggles she and her husband Andy endured when they just started making their business idea a reality.

She said they took a $3,000 loan from the Eastern Credit Union, made a cart and “formulated a product we thought was ice cream at that point in time…

“When we first took our product to Food and Drug, the feedback we got was ‘Aye, this is not ice cream you making, nah. There’s something called fat that is totally missing from this ice cream, so you have to go back and do your homework,’” she said laughingly.

Bethel said there are many challenges when it comes to being an entrepreneur in this field.

She recalled moving the cart around the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain to try getting sales but to no avail.

“So sometimes you might think, ‘Okay, this is a viable location,’ based on your perspective, and you might go to this location and set up and all of that.

“Hello? Three-dollar sales, one cone, two cones, sometimes nothing, rain falling, you packing up the cart, carrying it down and nothing.”

She recalled feeling like she was wasting her time with the idea especially as she was venturing from Barataria to Port of Spain daily.

“We said, ‘Wait, what about our community?’”

This, she said, led to her business becoming popular in East Trinidad.

“(Before this) we thought (maybe) the product wasn’t good.

“Sometimes when you pursue a product, you give someone a sample, somebody buys your product, they don’t buy it again, sometimes you get demotivated and demoralised on the product and you’re going to want to give up on it – don’t.”

She said it took about ten-15 years of rolling carts around communities for the business to really kick off and they began to distribute to supermarkets.

She said understating your product and the demographic you would like it to reach is very important.

“Don’t give up.

“It took some time but it also gives you a proud feeling…It’s a good feeling to overcome challenges and break glass ceilings.”

Supermarket Association president Rajiv Diptee at the information session. – Photo by Lincoln Holder

Supermarket Association president Rajiv Diptee said sessions such as these are crucial, as “food security is such a big issue across not just TT but the region.

“I get a lot of people who come to me and say, ‘Mr Diptee, how do I get my products on the shelves of supermarkets?’”

He said it varies, which is why he felt the session was a good idea, adding that the attendees would be hearing “good content” from the speakers.

It featured entrepreneurs and supermarket owners and officials.

CARIRI CEO Hans Erich Schulz said MSMEs play a “vital role in the economic growth of developing countries such as ours.

“In many studies, MSMEs, are seen as key actors in increasing the competitive and innovative capacity of countries and regions.

“At CARIRI, we have recognised this importance and our approach is holistic; combining advisory and technical solutions to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

He said the session would provide practical and valuable knowledge.

Cariri CEO Hans Erich Schulz. – Photo by Lincoln Holder

“As you sit in the audience, I ask that you listen, absorb, and react. I know you will have no trouble listening and absorbing but I want to speak on your reaction.

“When you leave here, create an action plan. Use the knowledge and advice gained here to chart your way from your current position to the supermarket shelf.”

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With the passage of the Condominium Bill 2022, owners of duplexes in Perseverance, East Bank Demerara (EBD) could begin applying for their ownership documents for their properties by the end of the year.

Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal said regulations under the Condominium Bill are being gazetted, while the administrative aspect between the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) and the Land Registry is being developed.

The duplexes were constructed by the APNU+AFC coalition Administration which failed to implement the relevant legislation that guides the regulation of such structures.

This was corrected by the PPP/C Administration in 2022 with the passage of a ‘modern’ Condominium Bill which supports the development of such units.

“The duplexes could not be recognised until we’re able to process it through the Condominium Act because it’s shared space and that’s what the Condo Act caters for. So, very shortly, they will be sorted out under the Act… that’s part of our programme for this year,” the Minister is reported by DPI as saying in an interview.

The Minister said another issue hampering the issuance of titled documents for the 42 structures, is ownership of the area where the units were constructed. There were also issues with surveys and the recognition of the name and where it falls.

“The land where those structures are located, there were challenges regarding the ownership of the areas, it was not legally owned by CHPA,” he explained.

The Minister assured that “very shortly they will be sorted out under the Act. Likewise, the area we are getting to the stage to recognise there.”

The Condominium Bill passed in the National Assembly back in May, has paved the way for the construction of condominiums and the conversion of existing buildings into units for individual ownership.

Since the passage of the legislation, the Housing Ministry has received over 70 Expressions of Interest (EoI) for the construction of condominiums and town houses here.

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The Ministry of Education has received a donation of books from the Hands Across the Sea organization.

The books were handed over during a short ceremony held at the National Public Library in Kingstown this morning.

Delivering remarks at the event, Hands Literacy Link Yvette Pompey explained why the organization has been consistently donating books over the years.

https://www.nbcsvg.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/POMPEY-DONATION.mp3

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William Gopaul. –

ANOTHER San Fernando businessman has been attacked. This time, the outcome was fatal.

William Gopaul, 63, of Hillpiece, Palmiste, was shot dead outside his home at about 6.20 am on Thursday.

Preliminary reports indicate Gopaul was approached by a man with a yellow bandana on his face. The man asked Gopaul for someone by the name of Benjamin. Gopaul said he did not know anyone by that name, but the man took out his gun and fired three shots at him.

Eyewitnesses said the killer then entered a white sedan car, registration unknown, and escaped.

Police who arrived found three .40 casings at the scene.

Within the last month, Mohan Rattan, the owner of Rattan’s Freezone, was attacked and robbed at his La Romaine home. The bandits escaped in a boat which was moored outside his seafront property.

Prior to this, six bandits held up security guards transporting cash from the Pennywise Super Centre, La Romaine, killing two. Two others were wounded in the incident. Four of the suspects were subsequently killed by police, and two were arrested.

President of the San Fernando Greater Chamber, Kiran Singh, said he is appalled by the spate of crime in the south and has condemned the brazen attack on one its members.

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