Surinamese butchery opens outlet in Guyana – investment pegged at Gy$ 240M

Guyanese will now have the options to buy fresh, quality cut meat, as popular Suriname butchery, Rossignol Butcheries, expands its services to Guyana, investing some Gy$ 240 million in the venture.
Rossignol Butcheries is a Suriname-base company with six branches across the neighbouring country that provides high quality meat to its customers. The butchery has been opened since April of this year for a trial run before the official opening.

Located on Church Street, Georgetown, Rossignol Butcheries (Guyana) is a state-of- the-art meat centre with top of the line storage facilities. In addition to selling beef, pork and chicken, cut according to the “European style”, which they also have pre-seasoned, Rossignol Butcheries also sells sausages, a variety of cheese and meat seasonings.
The butchery has also introduced their bread section, where they have available several types of imported bread, semi-cooked from Suriname, along with various delectable pastries made from different meats and cheese.
Bussiness opportunity
Owner of the Rossignol Butcheries franchise, Gerrald Van Dijk, told Guyana Times International that he got the idea of his business to Guyana about five years ago.
“We saw the opportunity a while ago because Guyana does not have anything like this and we were looking into how we were going to get started with it and now here we are,” he said.
Van Dijk disclosed that in order to make his new venture successful, he teamed up with five other persons in Suriname, to fulfil the desire.
Apart from providing top quality meat, the state-of-the-art butchery also provides employment to 14 Guyanese. The butchery will also provide market for local farmers, from whom they will buy raw meat; however, they will also be importing small portions from Suriname and the U.S.
The official opening of the Rossignol Butcheries on Sunday was attended by Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy, Suriname’s Trade Minister Raymond Sapoen, Suriname’s Ambassador to Guyana Mehroen Nisa Kurban-Baboe, GBTI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) John Tracey, and members of the diplomatic community.
Van Dijk’s business partner, Surinamese Bryan Renten, said the butchery offers high quality meat, which is up to par with international standards.
Suriname trade minister, Sapoen, acknowledged the hassle persons faced at the border and assured the businessmen that the issue is currently being addressed.
He said that the establishment of a Rossignol Butcheries in Guyana is an improvement of cross border activities between the two countries.
Dr Ramsammy pointed out that Guyanese welcome the establishment of the high quality butchery, as it seeks an improvement in quality and services. “People want better standards, people demand better standards and that is why more and more people are shopping in supermarkets rather than corner stores and community markets… it’s because we do desire better service.”
The minister disclosed that when it comes to quality meat, Guyana is the only World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) certified Caricom country, while adding that Guyana is on the verge of receiving another certificate from the OIE.
Foreign investment
Dr Ramsammy expressed his gratitude to the Surinamese company for investing in Guyana, noting that the country has vast opportunities for local and foreign investment.
The opening of Rossignol Butcheries comes shortly after the hosting of the Guyana Investment Conference, a forum held to discuss challenges and opportunities investors face in Guyana.