FASHION

Golden Flavours:
Cooking up success
with Barclays
Steve Albert, 32, is an entrepreneur and a
pragmatic dreamer. When he started his company,
Golden Flavours, he was barely 22. Ten years on,
Golden Flavours is known for the quality of its
products on the local market, distributing his
brand of vinegar, tomato sauce and chill sauce
in supermarkets around Mahé, but also in hotels,
restaurants and fast foods.
“I remember being at the Polytechnic School, whenever
I wanted my parents to buy chili sauce or tomato sauce at
the supermarket, there was barely any choice, and it was
always expensive. That’s when I realised the market for these
condiments were very much open in Seychelles,” explains the
young man. After leaving the polytechnic school, he decides
to follow a course on entrepreneurship for small businesses
at the Guy Morel Institute, giving him access to small grant
to launch his business.
“Once I had registered my business and opened the account
with Barclays, the next step was to find suppliers for the raw
materials and spices. I went to Malaysia and South Africa,
looking for the right blend of spices at the right price because
I wanted my product to be affordable here. Today, I still get
most of the spices from these countries, but I also use local
vegetables for my production,” says Steve Albert. Once he
bought his first batch of spices, he started experimenting
with the mixture, trying to find the right balance of tastes
that would appeal to the public, and soon enough, the first
bottles of condiments were produced in his small factory at
Anse-aux-Pins. He also followed a course on food preparation
and spice mixtures in 2007 in South Africa. Never one to
rest on his laurels, as soon as the business started to move
forward, Steve tried to come up with new ideas and revenue
streams, always going to Barclays for help when he needed it.
I feel like more than just a customer
“The relationship with Barclays is a very good one. I have
always made sure that my payments were made in time and
they have helped me along the way. Now, I feel like more than
just a customer, they know me and I know them. I know I can
tell the Barclays team about the issues I am having with my
business, and they will give me advices and encouragements.
I have told them about my next project, and should soon be
presenting them my project document,” he states. For 2015,
Steve Albert has a slew of projects coming, with the biggest
one being the construction of a new factory at Anse-aux-
Pins. The new state of the art factory will not only enable
him to increase his production of bottled vinegar, chili and
tomato sauces, but also to start producing other products
and flavours. “At one point, we were doing 10 different
products, but when I noticed some worked better, I chose
to focus on them. Now, I want to diversify because this will
enable me to increase my profitability. By the end of 2015,
my goal is that Golden Flavours be manufacturing 15 to 20
different products, from condiments to sauces,” declares the
ambitious young man.
For more information, please visit our branches,
Call our Contact Centre on 438 3939
or email sez.customerservices@barclays.com