Inspired by the initials of her name, Sara-Ann Edwards’ digital company, SAE Pantry, emerged at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, to service a demand for snacks at an affordable price.

The businesswoman, who at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak had had two jobs, made the wholehearted decision to walk away from one of her places of employment, which she says never brought much satisfaction to her.

Being the businesswoman she is, she was keen on developing a new stream of income.

While speaking with Our Today, Edwards described her thought process with regard to her business concept and customer base. She said amid the pandemic, she saw a niche market for her idea.

With virtual learning, children would now be home and more than likely would probably eat more than they usually do and, unlike other businesses that sells snacks at their physical location, she thought to deliver hers. This thought birthed the idea of her snack company.

Edwards at first ran with the slogan, Everything Fresh, but soon switched to The Snacks You Love.

Receiving products directly from suppliers such as National, Excelsior, Facey Commodity and Holiday, she began with mini snack packs at very affordable prices.

“So I started out and I had mini snack packs for $100. You could get like four snacks. You got peanut, a Cheese Trix, a biscuit and something else, sometimes I packed jello in them,” Edwards shared.

With this concept, she went on to make a variety of packages at very reasonable prices.

When asked what makes her business unique, the businesswoman attributed it to the fact that, unlike other establishments, when offering combo packs she is able to mix brands.

“You know how when you are buying the combo packs you only get one brand? I wanted to be different with SAE Pantry… . I think Holiday has a snack pack but you only get Holiday products. With my snack pack you get all the brands that you love. You get Holiday, National and Excelsior. You can’t beat that.”

With the financial constraints brought on by the pandemic, SAE Pantry established a payment plan for customers, which allowed them to pay her bi-weekly or on a monthly basis.

Though the company started out catering to children at home, Edwards said many of her current customers are adults who buy the snacks for themselves.

The curfew in Jamaica, she said, really helped to boost business as, when stores and shops were closed, essential workers would contact her for what they needed, describing her as a life saver.

Though in its early stages, Edwards said the support she has received so far has been tremendous. While she is satisfied with her efforts and the performance of the company thus far, Edwards said her challenge stems from the fact that her business is not a physical one. Some distributors, she said, require that businesses have a physical location in order to receive their product.

For the future, she hopes to gain international reach.

“I honestly see my business expanding exponentially. I even see it going overseas… . I see my thing going international, shipping internationally.”

In addition to this, Edwards wishes to put her own products on the market, not wanting to continue to be dependent on manufacturers for theirs.

Edwards wants the public to know that her business is affordable and, in the event that customers may be experiencing financial issues, payment plans can be created. The business also prides itself on matching its customers’ budgets.

“The other day, I packed a $1,000 snack pack. It had 14 snacks in it. Then, the other day I did $2,000 with 24 snacks.”

The business is also keen on developing long lasting relationships with its customers. Still in its infant stages, the company is creating its loyalty programme for its regular customers. With this, customers will be able to receive discounts on their purchases.

To get in touch with SAE Pantry, contact::

Instagram – @sae.pantry

Call or WhatsApp – 876-326-2633