I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled across this article in the Trinidad Express. So often we pick up products in the supermarket and don’t think of the names and faces behind the label. Corporations and brands just seem, by nature, to be faceless and robotic. That’s why it was so interesting and enlightening to read the story of Krishnawatie Tiwari, the creative force behind Yumma, a local line of dairy products. Although I am not impressed by their cottage cheese (much too dry and almost bitter in taste), I think their sour cream and yogurt are top notch. Knowing now that it is a female-led small business makes me even more eager to patronise them more.

Read the full article to learn about how recent rises in food prices have affected her business’ plans for expansion, and the disappointing (but all too predictable) attitude of local government towards supporting entrepreneurship.

Excerpt:
Krishnawatie Tiwari always seems to be surrounded by milk – milk products that is.
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She’s always busy at her home factory churning her dreams into reality.
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There is no time for unnecessary worry. She has overcome one hurdle after the other and now enjoys a niche market for three milk products: cottage cheese, sour cream and yogurt.
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Tiwari of Five Rivers, Arouca has been manufacturing the products for the past three years after taking over what was a dying business. It has begun to pick up and held tremendous possibilities, she said.
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Recently, she hit something of another hurdle: The increase in the price of skimmed milk has unsettled her plans for expansion.