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WEEK ENDING May 11, 2014 | guyanatimeSinternational.com
N&S Mattai and Company
From Stall to Grocery Store to Supermarket
T
he name "Mattai" has long signified Indian spices in Guyana. In any culture, the food is the most persistent trait that survives: but it can only do so if the ingredients are made available. Mattai was one of those that identified this need and had the entrepreneurial drive to take the risk to become directly involved in importing the spices that distinguished Indian cuisine and also just as important, move to the Stabroek Market, which was the bazaar of Guyana.
The beginning: sugar and rice
Founded by Nuckshed Liliah Mattai and Shamdayee Mattai, N&S Mattai started from very humble beginnings. Nuckshed’s parents arrived in Guyana from India as indentured labourers. Starting out at the Uitvlugt Estate, on the West Coast of Demerara, the family eventually moved to Hague Backdam where they started a rice mill to service the rice farmers who had bought plots of land on the ex-sugar estate. The father would have plunged all his hard earned savings into this venture. Nuckshed worked with the family business for years until the passing of his parents. This was one of the foundations of Indian entrepreneurship: the entire family supplied their labour to the enterprise. Nuckshed married Shamdayee in 1948 and over the course of their marriage the couple was blessed with ten children - five boys and five girls. N&S Mattai & Company was formed in 1949 with the opening of a stall in Stabroek Market. This was a bold and risky move, but the young couple appreciated that the greater number of shoppers meant greater opportunities. The risk was taken. Nuckshed and Shamdayee worked tirelessly to supply the public with basic groceries. This hard work paid off as the business steadily grew and the Mattai family moved from owning one stall at the market to owning seven. During these years, both husband and wife made countless sacrifices in order to keep the business and the family afloat. Nuckshed spent many nights sleeping at a gas station across from Stabroek Market just so
that he could open his stall as early as possible and close it as late as possible. He often waited until the 6:45am bell rang at the Market so that he could race to remove the shutters on his stall and make the first sale. Shamdayee gave birth to the couple’s first child in 1949. During this time, poverty often prevented Nuckshed from visiting his family on the East Coast. Weeks passed without him being able to visit his children. During this time, Nuckshed also overcame language barriers to become fluent in English, having grown up speaking primarily Hindi. In the early 1960s, Nuckshed was able to achieve his dream of owning a business in Water Street - the epitome of the Guyanese business community. The business was moving up. He purchased the building and land at 4A Water & Hope Streets, where N & S Mattai & Company still exists today. But the couple still remained rooted in the market for a number of years. Nuckshed often managed the seven stalls in Stabroek Market while Shamdayee managed the business in Water Street. His sons often helped him after school and on weekends. Those who knew Shamdayee at the time often describe her as a force to be reckoned with. Ever much the businessperson as her husband, she also ran the store, working side-by-side with her husband even though he was opposed to her being at the market. She simultaneously raised ten children and still managed to be known as a fashion icon in society, often sporting high heels and saris.
Upheaval and migration
Shamdayee and Nuckshed, along with most Guyanese, faced incredible difficulty in the 1970s and 1980s, when most basic food items such as potatoes, onions, and split peas were banned by the government. The business was hit especially hard since unavailability of these goods undermined the company’s survival and their family’s livelihood. The couple made the decision to move with their five youngest children to Canada. The trauma of uprooting from roots, which had been so painstakingly nurtured, was alleviated somewhat because
Nuckshed Liliah Mattai and Shamdayee Mattai
they were able provide their children with educational opportunities that were unavailable in Guyana. Like most of the Indo-Guyanese entrepreneurs, they remained adamant about proper education for all of their children. The family ran a small convenience store in Mississauga for approximately five years, which culminated in the opening a supermarket in the heart of Toronto. This was run by four of their children – Harry, Vickram, Nehaul and Vidya. During this time, the family managed to run N&S Mattai & Company in Guyana, since the sons stayed in Guyana for months at a time with their families to run the store via a shift-like system. Nuckshed and Shamdayee regularly travelled to Guyana to oversee the business and ensure that the company’s burgeoning reputation in quality and service continued.
The return
Shortly after Nuckshed’s passing in 1994, the supermarket in Canada was closed and Nuckshed and Shamdayee’s third son Harry returned to Guyana with his wife Bharati and their three children to run the business fulltime. The closure of Canada operations has not done much to stem the popularity of Mattai’s Garam Masala and spices in Guyanese communities abroad. After Harry returned to Guyana, he was able
to demolish the old existing building in Water Street and construct a new building. Over the years, additional stories have been added to create the extensive building that sits on Water &
Hope Streets today. N&S Mattai & Company continues to expand to accommodate Guyana’s diversified dietary needs and desires, offering hundreds of products from around the world. N&S Mattai was the first company in Guyana to import Indian foods, spices, pickles, seasonings and snacks, catering to the Indian national community as well as the wider Guyanese population, and continues to lead the market in this area today. The company is actively involved in various areas of the community such as culture, charity, education, environment and recreation. Harry has also transformed the company’s scope, expanding a successful grocery store into a place where customers can become more educated shoppers and have an overall better shopping experience. He makes it a point to educate himself on food trends, nutritional information and health benefits and shares this with his customers by making himself accessible for a con-
versation anytime and via the company’s radio programmes. Harry stays true to the company’s commitment to quality and health. The company’s history still plays a significant part in day-to-day operations. Its original sign still hangs proudly inside the store and pictures of Nuckshed and Shamdayee are permanent fixtures in Harry’s office. Harry honours his father’s love for racehorses and football by supporting horse racing events and sponsoring a football team in Tiger Bay. Shamdayee remains vehement that family name remain a source of pride and regularly reminds the family that she and Nuckshed worked too hard to have others squander it. Anybody who spends five minutes with Harry can plainly witness the contentment he feels by living the legacy and carrying on the family’s name and traditions. Today, N&S Mattai & Company stands proudly as a testament to the power of hard work, determination and prayer.