‘Pretty Local’ Anselia Ranny has carved a niche market for Indigenous foods
By Alva Solomon
As many Guyanese with Indigenous roots move to the city in pursuance of various quests, their search for foods they are accustomed to consuming at home can be daunting. Over the past three years, however, Anselia Ranny has discovered that she can fill that vacuum by supplying various wild meats, fish, and staples which are usually hard to find in Georgetown.
Anselia Ranny and her husband during one of many trips out of town, as the couple source Indigenous supplies for their business in the city
Popularly known as ‘Pretty Local’, a name given to her by her supportive husband, Anselia Ranny has grown accustomed to her customers asking for “Pretty” as they purchase their supplies at the family’s home on the railway line at Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara.
The petite businesswoman sells a host of Indigenous foods, which come from almost every administrative region of the country. Her list of supplies includes ‘wild hog’, ‘bush cow’, labba, venison (deer meat), and a variety of fish, including the in-demand Hiamarra fish, ‘Basha’ and the Lukanani, just to name a few. Another species of fish, called Tipicuru, is the most-sought-after fish, but according to Ranny, it is extremely difficult to source. Those products are usually sourced from Regions Seven and Eight.
Ranny’s husband holding two of several large ‘sweet water’ fish which the couple bought from suppliers during one of their trips out of the city
In terms of the staples, she supplies farine, which is sourced from the Rupununi, and cassava bread, which she sources from Region One. She says she would also source supplies of cassareep from that region.
How it all started
During an interview at her home last week, Ranny noted that, some three years ago, she decided to create a business after persons began visiting her for supplies of Indigenous foods. She explained that, prior to that time, she would bring small supplies of wild meat and other foods from the hinterland for resale in the city. Hailing from the village of Kamarang in Region Seven, Ranny noted that persons would ask her about other foods in addition to the ones she supplied. “So then I started to bring more goods,” she explained.
During this time, she decided to address the legal aspects of her business. She noted that she registered the business and contacted the wildlife authorities to ensure her business was also registered with that entity.
“I had to ensure that it was registered, because it became a business that I was doing regularly,” she added.
Then things kicked off, and she built up a network of contacts across the country, whom she would call or receive calls from.
Such persons trade in various Indigenous products, including fish and wild meat.
She says she receives plenty of support from her husband, and the couple would drive down to various ports from the city, such as Charity on the Pomeroon, where they would collect their supplies for resale. She says that demand for her products has been growing steadily over the years, and she noted that in the month of September, during Indigenous Heritage celebrations, there is a higher-than-normal demand for her products.
Challenges
In regard to the challenges she faces, Ranny says that since she has to source the items, it can sometimes be difficult to find particular type of foods, such as the Tipicuru fish. She says she has customers who would ask for certain types of products, and on occasions she would find it difficult to source those items. To meet this demand, she has been working to expand her network of suppliers across the country.
She also noted that there are certain foods, such as the Hiamara fish, which are available seasonally. While this is understandable, she noted, some customers would nevertheless usually make requests for the products.
As regards competition, she says she is aware there are other persons who supply Indigenous products, but she noted that everyone has their own customers as well as unique products. “So, for instance, I would be the one supplying wild meat, while another person would have crabs or other type of fish,” she said. She noted that it is a business in which customers have choices for various supplies of Indigenous foods.
During the interview, Ranny displayed several supplies of fish, wild meat and cassareep which she had on hand. Then a customer showed up asking for wild meat, and as the time passed, she received more phone calls from customers with various requests. She related that the business keeps her busy, so much so that she has learnt to drive, and recently she obtained her driver’s licence so that she could make the trips for supplies when her husband is unavailable.
In terms of marketing, she says she would make deliveries in bulk, or customers would visit her business at Vryheid’s Lust, where she erected a ‘Pretty Local’ sign, making it easy to find her business. In addition, her business has a Facebook page, and yes, one can easily guess the name -Pretty Local – which is just a click away.
The young businesswoman noted that she plans to expand her business by adding additional Indigenous products to her supplies’ list. She also plans to label her products under the ‘Pretty Local’ brand, a name which is becoming synonymous with Indigenous foods in the city.
