Linden Trade and Investment Fair….Chanzar’s Enterprise, a local manufacturing success story

Mar 27, 2017 News

By Enid Joaquin

The Linden Trade and Investment Fair held at the Egbert Benjamin Centre over the weekend, drew hundreds who turned up at the facility to view, sample and purchase the myriad items that were on display by the various booths.
Coordinator Staydon Payne, who represented the Linden Chamber of Commerce, said that he was quite overwhelmed with the response from both the business sector that used the opportunity to showcase their businesses and the public that turned out to support the venture.
Payne said that his only regret was the fact that the business seminar planned for Saturday and Sunday was not possible because of a few challenges.
He however dubbed the event a success, and said that he looks forward to making it an annual feature.
Opened on Friday last, the fair was graced by President David Grainger and Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin, among others.
President Granger in his feature address exhorted entrepreneurs to progress to exporting value-added products, instead of just focusing on materials in their raw state.
One of our own local manufacturers John Ceasar, proprietor of Chanzars Enterprise has been doing just that; adding value to many of the agricultural produce grown in Linden.
Considered one of the more successful manufacturing businesses in Linden, Chanzar’s booth was manned by its two managers, Caroline David and Joan Ceasar, who are Mr. Caesar’s daughters.

Member of Parliament Jermaine Figuiera at Chanzar’s booth

A family business, Chanzar’s Enterprise, which manufactures various spices, condiments, among other items, is probably the oldest manufacturing entity in the Mining town. It employs eleven persons, most of whom are women.
Both Caroline and Joan boast of being involved in the business ever since they were little girls.
Caroline quips,” I remember as a little girl, going around the neighborhood selling chocolate (sticks of cocoa) which people used a lot in those days to make tea.”
The chocolate was one of the first products their father started making in the family’s kitchen.
Those early days also saw Mr Ceasar producing plantain flour and cornmeal which was very popular with mothers of young children.
Joan reminisces, “Daddy used to ride around with the plantain flour and other porridge stuff and he would look for the houses with baby diapers on the line, and he would encourage the mothers to buy.
Well once the babies were introduced to these products, there was no turning back- the mothers became our main customers.”
That was over thirty seven years ago. Over the years Chanzar’s has added other items to their long list of locally manufactured products.
Some of the more popular include their special brand of curry, jerk seasoning and preserved fruit.
“I can’t bake me black cake unless I get Chanzar preserved fruits!” is a popular refrain by many housewives.
Member of Parliament Jermaine Figuiera, who was observed shopping at the Chanzar booth, was loud in praise of the local business entity, and congratulated them on their new and improved packaging.
Figuiera opined that many other businesses could ‘take a page’ out of Chanzars book, in that regard.
Without realizing it, John Ceasar has heeded the call for agro-processing and “value added”, even before such calls were made!
But this former bauxite employee has come a long way from the days when he manufactured all that he sold in the family kitchen.
Chanzar’s enterprise is today located on Pine Street, in the Heart of the Mackenzie business centre.
Here, myriad items, all locally produced, line the shells of the shop. Of course the smells emanating from the various spices and condiments and wafting in the air, are the only directions needed to find Chanzar’s!