By: Staff Writer
September 17, 2021
A Bahamian tea manufacturer is just focusing on the local market now as the exports will come in time.
Ryan Winters, owner/operator of BahaLeaf Premium Teas, told Caribbean Magazine Plus that despite moving into a new spot in the downtown area of Nassau, New Providence, sales have been “up and down” due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s toll on all businesses in the country.
He added that the move to the downtown area did help a bit because it gives him a storefront where he can engage with his customers more as well as have space for his employees to operate from.
Ryan started selling his teas from shopkeeper to shopkeeper, trying to get his teas on the shelves of as many retail outlets as he can while operating out of his small space from his home. But despite the COVID-19, it was time for expansion and his new storefront is the best place to further branch out with the BahaLeaf brand.
Ryan also said: “We are really tapping into the local market now and hoping to get some of the taxi drivers on a regular basis as well as the tourists to come and try the products.”
Ryan had to pivot from selling his teas from shop to shop because it was a bit of a “challenge” due to the fact that there has to be a lot of “cold calling” involved with doing that and along with having a full time job alongside BahaLeaf it was becoming too much for him to handle at one time.
“The store owners would guide you on what you would need, and you would need to meet certain standards like bar coding for all of your products and other things. So if you want to play in their ballgame then you have to abide by what the do. But ultimately it works better for you anyway because it helps you to grow your brand,” Ryan said.
While Ryan has a website dedicated to promoting his teas, he does not have an online payment provider. Citing it as a “tremendous challenge,” he warned that the commercial banks in The Bahamas have not been as accommodating to his need to provide an online payment portal so he can sell his teas to an international market.
Rya said: “I’ve found a way to facilitate online payments but it has been a constant challenge trying to get that off of the ground with the local banks and the credit card providers.”
There are other payment services providers outside of the established commercial banks, for example the various digital payment providers, but with them Ryan said, however: “What they offer is really kind of a manual process and not really seamless, but it is an option. It’s not the user-friendly experience that most people are used to when they shop at Amazon or Walmart where you just enter in your credit card details and shop.
“Also, for them you have to have a custom built website, so small business owners like myself would have to spend a lot of money on custom integration.”