Latest update February 17th, 2025 9:42 PM
Jan 08, 2017 News
“I taught many of these bakers that exist today. I help out when I can, because baking comes easy to me. Many persons that worked with me have moved on to open their own bakeries also. I feel good knowing that I helped in some way.”
By Suraj Narine
There’s an old adage that goes: “Family are the only ones obligated to love you; from the
rest of the world you have to earn it.”
Our ‘Special Person’ this week, a baker extraordinaire, knows this saying all too well. To him, family is, and has always been his greatest asset. He rose from relatively humble beginnings to become a household name, and has built an empire on blood, sweat, tears and, of course… a whole lot of flour.
CHILDHOOD REFLECTIONS
Winston Humphrey, more familiarly known as George Humphrey, was born on March 1, 1948, to Robert Humphrey and Miriam Allen. He grew up in Middle Road, La Penitence. One of five children for his parents, he attended West Ruimveldt Primary School and was later enrolled at St. Phillip’s Anglican School which was located at Ketley Street, Charlestown.
Mr. Humphrey, in looking back on his childhood days, smiled as he remembered absconding from school, swimming in nearby trenches, running around the neighbourhood with his friends picking trouble, and yes, constantly raiding the neighbours’ fruit trees.
“We did it all. We used to go and swim at Punt-Trench. We were a busy group. My uncles were very strict on all of us, though. I guess they had to be…for us not to lose focus. For example, we couldn’t go swimming and let them catch us! The playing was fun, of course, but life itself was very hard. We were poor in the early years, and my father and mother tried their best to make ends meet.
“It was hard, but it was sweet. Our family was always happy, somehow we always managed to keep ourselves happy and that is important you know…happiness.”
THE COMING OF ALICE HUMPHREY
This happiness was cruelly interrupted for a brief period when his mother passed away. He recalled that life essentially came to a standstill and although he was only six years old when it happened, he knew from that moment, “everything was going to change forever”.
Sometime after, old Robert Humphrey retired from being a “ladies man” and got married to Alice, who came marching into their lives.
Mr. Humphrey reflected that his initial reactions to his step-mother were those of any other child. Not only was he angry, but confused at the same time. Alice Humphrey, he recalled, with his eyes welling up, eventually became the family’s cornerstone.
“She was a good woman. She was kind to us. Alice Humphrey was the best! For a step-mother she really loved us and we loved her like a mother…and she made my father a better man too.”
Young George dropped out of school and began working at his father’s bakery in Barr Street, Albouystown. It became an all-family business. Alice worked in the bakery too, alongside her new relatives.
Happiness, Mr. Humphrey recalled, was restored and everything was almost back the way it was.
“I would go and help clean… sweep out the bakery and stuff, but honestly I never really liked it. I suppose it’s because it was something that I was born into… I wanted to do something else. But my father would have me around all the time and we couldn’t branch out to do other things. So I would just sit and watch my father work. During those days, he would use almost a half-bag of flour per day just to bake enough bread to satisfy his customers. It was really much tougher back then, because most of the preparations had to be done by hand. The oven used wood, so there was a lot of hard labour,” Mr. Humphrey explained.
BRANCHING OFF
After the deaths of his father and his stepmother, Mr. Humphrey and one of his brothers, Vernon, took over the bakery. The brothers managed to raise their father’s normal half-bag per day to somewhere over 20 bags per day amidst competition from the “ten or so bakeries” that existed during that time.
But there was to be another setback – a Government-imposed ban on food items, including flour. Mr. Humphrey said that he was cast into a world of uncertainty.
“Baking was in my blood, it was all I knew.” He reiterated that initially he “hated” it, but later when faced with the aforesaid adversity he embraced it with a newfound appreciation… only after he could no longer do it.
“I started to work taxi. It was then I realised how much baking meant to me. I missed it and I said to myself that when times get better I would go back and give it my best. Mr. (Forbes) Burnham died in the mid 1980s, in 1985 to be exact. I had bought this place in Ketley Street the year before that. When he died, I moved over everything here and I started back baking in full.”
Vernon, however, did not follow Mr. Humphrey. He moved on to other things before passing away in 2000.
“I started making cakes, because my father baked bread and I wanted to try something different, but I still ended up baking the bread. Remember it is all I know. Things changed for me here. Things really changed for me.”
FAMILY LIFE
Mr. Humphrey got married to his teenage sweetheart, Pauline. Their union produced eight children, Trevor, Troy, Shondell, Andrea, Roshell, Melanie, Marlon and Nimrod.
Troy, a champion cyclist, tragically passed away in a motor vehicle accident some years ago and Mr. Humphrey founded the Roraima Bikers Club (RBC) and served as President for a number of years before retiring.
The RBC, along with other organisations, would host competitions in his Troy’s honour. In 2013, the club would have hosted its 16th annual meet before the organisation was disbanded sometime after.
“My children and 20 grandchildren are what keep me going. My father never used to give us what we wanted for some reason. We had to earn it, and I think that has helped me become what I am today. But those days are different from now. I try to give my children and grandchildren what they want so they can be happy. Times have changed. All I have is them. Just how I took over my father’s business, so will my children and just how I expanded it, they will do the same,” the baker confidently predicted.
Asked how he met his wife, Mr. Humphrey stated that it was a “long story” but after some persuasion, he relented…
“She was the niece of a woman I knew and I had gone to visit her aunt because something
had happened and I saw her (Pauline) and we talked and things went on from there,”
“So how long have you been married?” I asked.
“Almost 47… going on to 48 years now,” he replied.
“That’s a very long time,” I said. “What has it been like?”
“Oh she’s the best thing that ever happened to me and she has been very supportive.”
“So you were never married before?” I queried.
“Nah, Nah…Married two times? (laughing hysterically) Not at all…I don’t like that. Listen, I prayed to God every night to find a good wife and he gave me a wonderful wife and I am happy for that. That woman made my life,” Mr. Humphrey proudly stated while nodding approvingly.
His eldest daughter, Shondell, who was present during the interview, described her father as a family-oriented man who simply adores his grandchildren. He is also a focused individual and very humane.
“He believes that you should work hard to achieve anything in life and is always approachable and ready to lend a listening ear,” she said of her dad.
HUMPHREY’S BAKERY AND QUALITY PRODUCTS
Humphrey’s Bakery produces over 20,000 loaves of bread weekly and has over the decades attracted customers throughout the length and breadth of Guyana.
“Every week we utilise more than 300 bags of flour. We purchase all our ingredients locally because we support local jobs,” Mr. Humphrey emphasised.
Asked what the business environment is like, he said that things have gotten “a little
challenging” over the years. He spoke in particular about the large electricity bill adding to the already high operational costs and the increased competition (which he stressed is important) as well as the fluctuations of prices of some ingredients.
“It’s a constant challenge, but we still got to keep going and to provide quality products to our customers who have been supporting us for the past 50 years. This (bread) recipe is a traditional one that was passed down from my father to me and now it will go to my children and their children’s children. We must keep the business going, the people depend on us.”
Mr. Humphrey noted that back in 1984 when he moved over to Ketley Street, there were only ten workers. The bakery currently provides jobs for more than 80 workers. And they put their hearts into their work.
“We have workers here that have been with us more than 20 years. They are loyal and we appreciate everything they do for the establishment. We like to share our products with everyone. So we have a shift system. What we do is, we close the grills after-hours at night and we sell through there, and you would be surprised how much people come to buy – even some of the well-known politicians come and support us. It is a good feeling.”
Mr. Humphrey prides himself in knowing that he was part of many of the bakery shop start-ups in the community and surrounding villages.
“I taught many of these bakers that exist today. I help out when I can, because baking comes easy to me. Many persons that worked with me have moved on to open their own bakeries also. I feel good knowing that I helped in some way.”
Asked if he has any regrets about his life choices, the 68-year-old said that he regrets never being able to further his education. He went on to reflect that he had so many dreams and aspirations, but as he was expressing this thought, he looked up and saw Shondell and said, “But you know what? Maybe if I had, I wouldn’t have turned out to be the man I am today. Things might have been different yes, but, I know I am happy now. So no! I change my answer. I would do the same thing over again if I had to!”
PLANS FOR THE NEW YEAR
Mr. Humphrey related that for 2017, the bakery intends to intensify its marketing strategy and increase its line of products and services. The establishment already sells pastries and other types of products outside the range of items being sold at other bakeries. He spoke also of increasing the number of outlets and widening the scope of his market to reach never-before locales.
Humphrey’s Bakery also makes numerous donations to several elderly homes and shelters throughout Guyana. The Dharm-Shala receives three quotas of bread weekly. Donations are also made to the Palms Geriatric Home in Georgetown.
The Bakery is also popular in Charlestown for its annual Christmas party and gift distribution exercise. The sports fraternity also benefits in the form of monetary contributions.
ADVICE FOR THE YOUTHS
In concluding, Mr. Humphrey was asked if there was any advice he had for the youths. His response was somewhat predictable for a man of nature: “I want to say to the youths that when you do something, don’t do it because you have to. Put your mind to it; dedicate your time and your energy. Nothing happens overnight, but you will get there. You might fall through sometimes, but try again, man.”
That’s the wise counsel of a special person.
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