The Story of SVG Natural Foods
Lionel Williams, a Vincentian who left St. Vincent (SVG) at the age of 18 for the United States, has now retired from the New York City Department of Education and returned to his homeland, where he is producing juices and teas for export using local fruits and vegetables.
“SVG Natural Foods is our company name , we are currently producing concentrated drinks made from sorrel, ginger, golden apple and five-finger fruits. We use plants like kojo root, cinnamon root, and soursop leaf to make what we call a premium herbal tea “.
“We chose those plants because there is a lot of folklore and some research that shows the Kojo root plant and soursop leaf plant have properties that can help fight cancer and boost the immune system.”
SVG Natural Foods, according to Williams, should soon be able to export some of its locally produced tea to New York. He stated that the company’s products are currently available in local supermarkets.
“Our products are currently available in four supermarkets and two pharmacies. The premium tea that we produce is available at C.K. Greaves and Randy’s supermarkets, as well as two pharmacies, Coreas Pharmacy and Bowman Pharmacy. We are producing enough to supply our local markets as well as the New York market “.
“Anyone living in the diaspora can contact SVG Natural Foods; it is also registered in the United States, and the FDA has already completed all of our business assessments, allowing us to carry our products without restriction. We have a store on the Walmart website that still sells all of the flours that we produced earlier in the operation. That is the breadfruit, dasheen, tannia, and arrowroot; so anyone in the United States can order directly from there and receive the product “.
According to Williams, two people are currently employed and have been trained to produce the juices and teas even when he is not present.
“We’ve trained two young people who will run the company while I’m away.” “They know how to make all of the concentrates and can do it from beginning to end.”
Williams had some advice for both retired people who want to start a business and young entrepreneurs.
“If you are willing to put in the effort, because starting a business requires not only the brain, but also the willingness to get down and do things with your own hands, when you master the craft yourself, you can train people with a lot more efficiency, and that’s what I did before I hired anyone; I knew how to do everything myself with my own hands. So be prepared to work hard and spend time seeking advice from locals who can point you in the right direction “.
SVG Natural Foods can be reached at the Casa Villa Building, which is close to the community college, or by calling (454) 0566.
