La Horquetta entrepreneurs fair a success

More than 20 local and Latin American vendors participated this past Sunday, in a community entrepreneurs fair in La Horquetta, Arima.

The event was organised jointly by the management of La Horquetta Complex and the NGO Women Owned Media & Education Network (Women).

The La Horquetta Community Centre hosted the fair from 10 am-6 pm.

Lucia Cabrera Jones, director of Women, said the fair offered food, crafts, decorations and general services.

She explained the theme of the event was empowering entrepreneurs through unity and mobilisation.

“It is our first community entrepreneurship fair. We seek to publicise the work of these entrepreneurs from our community, and incorporate activities to encourage the presence of members of our community.”

In the fair bread, empanadas, hot sauces, handmade soaps, glasses with emblems and handmade flip-flops were sold.

Around 80 visitors toured each of the stands.

Mammie's food ventures received the award for best exhibitor. They make pepper sauces, green seasoning and gluten-free flours and mixes. The award was by its presentation, attention to the public and quality and novelty of the products.

Women is a non-profit organisation committed to providing women and girls in the community with access to training, workshops, and mentoring programmes to become self-sufficient.

“We are also giving continuity to the preparation workshops for Latina entrepreneurs. The idea is these women are incorporated into the communities,” she said.

"We have women from various parts of Trinidad and we want to let the local community know these women come to work and contribute to the development of this country with ideas and with great seriousness in what they do and promote."

The facility co-ordinator for the complex, Lisa-Kay Waldron-Blackman, said she is proud of the work of the women entrepreneurs of the community.

"I am very elated that the goal of the community entrepreneurship fair was accomplished. This is an event we hope to have annually. We had over 20 entrepreneurs coming from the community of La Horquetta and environs. They've shown brainpower and great innovation with their products," she said.

Waldron-Blackman said she was impressed the entrepreneurs took advantage of the opportunity to showcase their businesses.

"It is my hope they continue to nurture their businesses until they've seen satisfactory growth. We see the importance of entrepreneurship, as it can help us tackle some of the greatest challenges we face around the world given the current economic difficulties we are faced."

She hailed the event as a success and thanked the entrepreneurs, the community and all who supported it.