— RSS Naturalll Delites
cranberry, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and the original coconut drops.”
“We also do grater cakes with sesame seeds and we also do the original pink and white grater cakes that Jamaican children grew up eating. We do three types of gizzadas — cranberry, almond and the original. We do sorrel jam with cayenne pepper and without cayenne pepper, we do turmeric candy and we also do three types of Krismus Cakes — eggless Christmas cakes, sorrel Christmas cakes and the original Christmas cakes. There is also peanut cakes with cranberry and pumpkin seeds and the original peanut
RSS Naturalll Delites grater cake infused with sesame seeds cakes,” Crooks Allen said as she outlined the products which make up her portfolio currently.
“Whenever I am doing anything, I work late in the nights when I have few distractions,” she said, adding that is when her creativity stands out.
But starting a business just ahead of the pandemic also brought its challenges.
“At the height of the pandemic it was not that good, but last year December I see a light starting to shine on me. From then, more people started to see the products and I am getting better sales now,” she told Sunday Finance.
“I have the products in
Hi-lo supermarket, Sovereign Supermarket, Sampars Old Harbour, Things Jamaican at Devon House and the Norman Manley International Airport, the JDF at Up Park Camp and also people who want to get it directly from me can Whatsapp my number and I will get it to them,” the single parent said.
Even though the business is small at the moment, Crooks Allen is thinking big.
She has a website, https:// rssnaturallldelites.co/, and can be found on Instagram @rssnatural and on Amazon as well.
Coconut drops with almond produced by RSS Naturalll Delites.
“So if you are overseas and want your traditional Jamaican snacks, you can get it,” she added.
But those products aside, Crooks Allen said she also produces ‘blue draws’ or dukunu as it is called in some parts of Jamaica and other traditional Jamaican pastries like sweet potato puddings.
“You name it and I can bake it for you,” she boasts.
“Since I started this business, there is a lot of things I have accomplished. In 2019, I was nominated as a world entrepreneurial woman by the Bureau of Standards Jamaica and I went
to International Organization for Standardization (ISO), World Trade Organization and Teacher Effectiveness Training (TET) workshop in The Bahamas and I was so delighted. I didn’t expect as a small person with a coconut drops going to those places.”
She said she realised from those that her business can transition into a big one.
“But what’s holding me back is capital. That’s preventing me from excelling the way I see this business can go.”
Crooks Allen, however, admits that getting capital for her business is hard, because of “red flags” on her financial past.
She said to keep her family going after her divorce, she borrowed money, trying different things which failed, and she was in no position to repay at the time.
“Seeing all of these struggles I have gone through with this business and to take care of my two girls, I am proud despite the setbacks. One of my girls is now in law school and the other is on the cusp of finishing high school. This business took them through and kept us going. Now I am putting things in place for the both of them. I enjoy the last few years. I have been through some storms, but that helped me to know who God is and helped me to put my trust in God and believe that some way down the line, everything will work out for your good,” she concluded.