Currently in its 65th year of operation, the highly diversified Affiance-based enterprise Imam Bacchus & Sons is one of the best-known businesses on the Essequibo Coast and when Stabroek Business visited the Cinderella County last week, we thought it would be useful to engage the proprietors in our quest to ‘test’ the temperature of the Essequibo economy.
The first generation owner, Imam Bacchus, bought a 100-acre rice cultivation and milling operation – from a British businessman named Mr Seymour – the latter comprising a one-stage rice mill the function of which was simply to separate the grains from the paddy and to produce an animal feed by-product. All that changed over the years.
In 1960, the company acquired a multi-stage rice mill which significantly improved the capital intensiveness of their operations.
These days, Imam Bacchus & Sons prides itself on milling, packaging and marketing their own rice. The firm’s increased milling capacity means that it purchases 50,000 bags of paddy per crop from other farmers Once the components – which have already been imported into Guyana – for a second silo have been assembled and the silo is operational by mid next year, Imam Bacchus & Sons will be doubling the volume of its paddy purchases.
Over time, the family gradually diversified their operations into an impressive range of businesses. The diversification began during the 1960s when, in the wake of the civil disturbances, the enterprise secured the permission of the District Commissioner to serve as the distributor of food and fuel along the Essequibo Coast. Once that arrangement ended, the elder Bacchus set up his own grocery store.
During the 1970s, the company commenced the production of chowmein having acquired a mill left behind by a Chinese national who had returned home after setting up a manufacturing operation here. Subsequently, the company added a poultry farm to
