Rupununi Essence project makes $1M profit since June start

Dec 12, 2016 News

…plans afoot to add more items to product line

At a simple ceremony held yesterday at the Cara Lodge, the Institute of Applied Science and Technology handed over $1,031,208 to the Makushi Research Unit (MRU) and the Medicine From Trees (MFT) group of the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB).
This sum represents profits from the sale of Rupununi Essence Luxury Facial Cleansers since the launch of the product in June 2016.
Present at the event were Minister of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, Sydney Allicock, Sharon Patterson, Coordinator of the Ministry of Social Cohesion, representing Minister Amna Alli; Vanda Radzik, trustee of the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB); Emily Allicock, Administrator of the Bina Hill Institute and Paulette Allicock, the coordinator of the Makushi Research Unit, who accepted the cheque from Professor Suresh Narine of the Institute of Applied Science and Technology.
The products are made on behalf of the NRDDB by the IAST, and all production costs, including electricity, labour, raw materials, packaging, marketing, etc., are recovered by the IAST, with 100 percent profits being remitted to the NRDDB.
Professor Narine in his remarks said that the product is now on sale at D.M. Sales, on Regent Street and at the Grand Coastal hotel, East Coast Demerara. He said that within a few weeks, in time for the Christmas shopping season, the product will be available at a number of other hotels and retail outlets.  He is confident that another $2M of profit should be realized from sales over the Christmas period.

(From left: Minister of Indigenous Affairs Sydney Allicock, NRDDB Trustee Vanda Radzik, Paulette Allicock, Coordinator MRU, Professor Suresh Narine, Ms. Emily Allicock, Administrator of Bina Hill Institute and Ms. Sharon Patterson, Coordinator of Ministry of Social Cohesion

Two more products are expected to be added to the brand in 2017

He added that currently, the institute is supervising the construction of a solar drying and processing facility in Paramakatoi, Region 8 to sun-dry tomatoes grown in the Pakaraima valleys.
The institute also supervised the construction of a factory building in Anna Regina, Region 2, to produce the Morning Glory products, and the processing equipment is due to arrive in Guyana on January 13, 2017.
Both the Ministries of Social Cohesion and Indigenous People’s Affairs have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the IAST to utilise technology and innovation to foster development and generate sustainable businesses in indigenous and hinterland communities.
According to Ms. Sharon Patterson, this project is contributing to the Green Economy, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and above all, social cohesion as a tool for development and empowerment with women playing a lead role.
During his remarks Minister Allicock said, “This product endorses the notion that development and poverty alleviation in our hinterland communities need not follow an exploitative, extractive trajectory, but can be entirely in consonance with principles of sustainability and environmental stewardship. We need to replicate this in all indigenous communities and to continue to harness our ancient indigenous knowledge – old pathways, in new directions.”
Ms. Vanda Radzik, one of the first people to work with residents of the North Rupununi to begin producing value-added products from the crabwood oil, said that it is absolutely fantastic that a native forest product can be processed by the hands of grass roots indigenous women into an essence from the deep Rupununi.
She said that the sky is the limit for this; rooted in traditional knowledge and reaching for the stars through modern science and good business practices.
Ms. Paulette Allicock, the coordinator of the Makushi Research Unit and the Deputy Toshao of Annai, in receiving the cheque from Professor Narine, said “This product from our environment stems from our ancient indigenous knowledge, and through this marvellous product, our culture, knowledge and environment shall be showcased and recognized throughout the world.  Women involved with this project are from the grass root level.  And we are ecstatic to see our grassroots efforts transported through this partnership to such a global reach.”
The Rupununi Essence brand of products, will add two new products in 2017 to the facial cleansers already being sold. These will be a massage oil and a facial scrub made from, among other things, the shells of the crabwood.  Furthermore, an overseas-based Guyanese has already approached the NRDDB with the offer to exclusively market the products in the United States, with a minimum guaranteed order of 10,000 units per annum.
Both Professor Narine and Minister Allicock said that early in 2017, the Ministry and the IAST will be collaborating on a National conference of crabwood oil, lemongrass and coconut oil producers, these being the major ingredients in some of the products.
The conference is aimed at ensuring that the value being realized with these new branded higher value products, gets transferred as well to producers, and that steps are taken to authenticate the source of the ingredients as well as planting of crabwood oil trees in the forested areas so that supply of this essential ingredient is sustainable.
The NRDDB will be incorporating a company to handle the production, marketing and sales of the product and ultimately production shall move to a modern processing facility to be built at Bina Hill in Region 9.  The profits being remitted to the NRDDB are being saved to construct this facility; construction is targeted for the end of 2018.
Also in 2017, ten (10) students from the Bina Hill Institute will intern at the IAST to learn how to manufacture the products, perform the important quality control tests and learn about the business model and marketing.
The initial products, which developed out of an outreach to Region 9 in November of 2015, led by Minister Amna Alli and Vanda Radzik along with the IAST had a short incubation period and represents collaboration between modern science and indigenous.
The institute has also developed the Morning Glory Brand of breakfast cereals and nutrition bars, the Pakaraima Flavours brand of Sundried Tomato salad dressings, the Taste of Hiowa Marmalades and several other products.