Sonya Dunstan’s business sense

SONYA Dunstan has always displayed a sense of independence and commitment to reaching her goals.

The 46-year-old entrepreneur, who describes herself as a passionate, driven, and a people-oriented go-getter, told All Woman that being the eldest of 10 children, she hated disappointment, and hence from an early age she developed self-reliance.

“I didn’t like hearing ‘no’ when I asked for things, so I didn’t ask. The disappointment of not getting them made me realise that if I needed something I just had to work for it,” she said.

She said growing up in Spanish Town, St Catherine with entrepreneurial parents really showed her what it took to be resilient and reach for her goals.

“My father is an electrical contractor and every summer was spent working in his shop counting bolts and sorting nuts. We worked right up until the Friday before school restarted, so from then I knew the level of sacrifice it took and came to realise that work is just work and when it needs to be done, it has to be done.”

Moreover, being business-minded from a young age, when she left the College of Arts, Science and Technology, now UTech, with a degree in hotel and tourism management, she recalls working in the sector for some 10 years before taking the leap and starting her own business — A Taste of the Caribbean Limited. This, she said, took a lot of courage as the odds were not in her favour.

“I remember going to my supervisor at the time and saying, ‘I want to go back to school’, and she said, ‘No, if you’re going back, you will have to resign’,” she explained.

It was at this point that Dunstan decided that working for someone was not worth it, resigned, and entered the business market with only J$300 as her start-up capital.

Though not much, Dunstan said she began thinking how she could invest the money and do something that would benefit Jamaicans in the long run.

“That’s when I decided to start making rum fudge, then I did tamarind balls and mint balls. I chose those because of how authentic they are to Jamaica and the ingredients for them can be found right here. There’s no need to import raw materials. We need to eat what we grow and I believe we truly produce the best,” she said.

However, by the time things started looking up for Dunstan, a fresh set of challenges arose as she ended up having a large volume of spoilage of raw materials, developed a pseudotumour under her right eye, and suffered a mild heart attack. But with the encouragement of her sister to continue, she developed a new-found strength to start over.

Her business, branded Dunson’s, and now officially ten years old, has its factory operations in Yallahs, St Thomas, and makes a wide array of uniquely Jamaican products such as coconut curry sauce, brown stew sauce, jerk barbecue sauce, jams from local fruits, sweet and sour chicken sauce, sorrel chutney, salad dressings and coffee jelly. She also has export markets in the United Kingdom, Canada and The Bahamas.

Also, apart from making a profit, Dunstan shared that one of the most fulfilling things about the business is the linkages developed and her ability to extend herself socially to people.

“Most of my main suppliers of ingredients are small farmers and when I go to these farming communities I see the potential and the children there are bright, but they may not have the opportunity nor the resources, so I employ their parents to supply my business with produce and when they are able to buy their books and go to school it is making a difference. One more educated person is one less criminal,” she said.

She added: “The monetary gain is good but it doesn’t mean much; it’s the change you can make. It’s seeing these children being afforded an education. Seeing those I sponsor for CSEC getting their subjects, seeing employees being able to go back to school and can now read because I gave them that opportunity and didn’t get rid of them — that’s the real reward. Once you educate or help to educate a people, I truly believe there will come a time in Jamaica where we can once again sleep with our doors open.”

Dunstan also volunteers in her community to mentor teens and encourage them.

“They learn differently now and they are more assertive. It’s [good] being able to talk to them and see what their needs are,” she said.

She believes in doing things right the first time, treating everyone fairly, and being compassionate, as life is a circle and you never know when it will be your turn.