Support for start-ups and SMEs
THE Corner Bakery has become a sort of “Big Brother” to start-up businesses that have been bold enough to put their ideas and products out in the market.
Situated at the Kundan Singh premise in Tamavua, Suva, the Corner Bakery facilitated the launch of local business Marama Niu’s new product.
Corner Bakery director Pavan Singh said they had always worked with the small start-ups and SMEs because they believed that as an established retailer, they had a duty to look after their sort of smaller and younger sort of siblings in terms of the business space.
“So this is not the first one. We were the first stockist of Juice Fiji and we have also done Just Say It cards and we’ve got a couple of different honey,” he said.
Mr Singh said they either approach SMEs to assist them with their product distribution or they are requested by SMEs for assistance.
“We believe that we should be an incubator to help these companies set up, you know, especially during times like this. So when I saw the Marama Niu product, I thought that that was a fantastic idea. Not only the ice creams, but also they’ve got a unique product called coconut nectar.
“So what that is, is a honey substitute and vegans don’t need honey and this is a substitute, which is fantastic. I think that’s something that the government really needs to look at it and see if we can push it overseas.”
He said there were a lot of people with small ideas but just getting in and getting that first step was the hardest, and that’s where people like the Corner Bakery came in to assist.
He said they had plans to reach out to other smaller businesses apart from the ones they were already working with.