Buxton wine producer Abigale John will be showcasing and selling her product at the upcoming International Building Expo, after complaining to a panel of ministers that she was unable to secure a spot at the event.
During a ministerial outreach on Sunday to Buxton, following the mayhem at Mon Repos a week earlier, a frustrated John told the panel which was headed by Prime Minister Brigadier (rt’d) Mark Phillips that despite numerous visits to relevant offices and to Impressions Inc, she was still unable to secure a spot at the Expo for her product.
While none of the ministers at the outreach directly addressed John’s issue with the Expo, Stabroek News learned that Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, who was one of the ministers at an outreach, reached out to John and she was able to secure a spot in the Food Court section of the Expo for the sum of $60,000.
At the ministerial outreach, John had complained that she was unable to secure a booth for her locally-produced wine at the Expo, which is slated for July 22-24 at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence. She told that the panel of ministers that after visiting several offices, she was told that she had to go to Impressions Inc., to see “what was available”. Impressions Inc, it appears, is in charge of the allocation of booths.
The young businesswoman questioned why Impressions should determine whether she was able to sell her wine at the Expo. John, who produces GT Wine from local fruits and vines, told the ministers that when she got to Impressions office, she was told by a young lady that alcohol was not allowed at the Expo, after she was given an initial favourable response. She said, she asked whether Banks DIH Limited and Demerara Distillers Limited were allowed to be at the Expo, but got no answer.
According to her, she was subsequently offered a booth for $200,000, but refused it, because it would have been unprofitable.
The Buxton resident had said that she took her complaint to several offices including the Private Sector Commission and G-Invest, without any success. However, Stabroek News understand that Croal resolved the issue and John and her GT Wine will be at the Building Expo.
