Nudge Caribbean Expands in St. Lucia Thanks to Massy and CDB

Nudge Caribbean is growing! With the in-store activation pilot programme of the Nudge Market Stall inside Massy Stores Mega on September 10, Nudge welcomed St. Lucia to its vibrant community of entrepreneurs.

Founded by creative entrepreneur Anya Ayoung-Chee and Julie Avey, Massy Group’s Senior Vice President of People and Culture, this social enterprise was first introduced in the Trinidadian market last year, as a means of providing support for local entrepreneurs displaced by the COVID19 pandemic. Since then, it has blossomed into a burgeoning network of regional entrepreneurs and industry experts, working assiduously towards economic resilience.

Nudge Caribbean has garnered support from the Massy Group and the Caribbean Development Bank to assist in developing the various initiatives in each island. These crucial partnerships have allowed the project to deepen its roots in the Caribbean with Saint Lucia being the third island to benefit, after successful in-store activations in Barbados.

According to co-founder Anya Ayoung-Chee, “Nudge is aiming to leverage big business resources to support smaller entities and connect the dots between these different worlds, more and more merging these worlds, to harness the incredible amount of talent and skill that the Caribbean region has to offer.”

Lisa Harding, Coordinator of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development at CDB notes that the project aligns with several overlapping areas of focus for the Bank, including building economic resilience, enhancing competitiveness of the region’s private sector and economic empowerment of women. “Nudge can improve the competitiveness of these participating entrepreneurs’ businesses by strengthening their capacity to use technology more effectively and also through expanding their online market access.

It’s also noteworthy that around 90% of participants in the current pilot are female and we’re hopeful that Nudge’s programs can enhance the development of female entrepreneurs in the region by providing business and capacity building support to minimize risk and increase their potential access to finance.”

The first cohort of entrepreneurs to benefit from the Nudge expansion into Saint Lucia are Jancel Thomas of Healthy Strands, Shakira Roberts of Lotus Cosmetics Slu, Terill Nicholas of Illuminating Designs, Malon Joseph of Lucian Child, Kera Rene of KerNaturals, Jessica Alexander of Sa Nou Saint Lucia, Kayode James of Real 3D Printing, Emma Abraham of Emma Dolls, Edisa Eugene of E’Bamboo Creations, and Shena Nathaniel of Xenn.

The products are all #MindfullyMade, handmade with locally sourced materials (where possible) and range from soaps to souvenirs, hair, and skin products to scented soy candles.

For Massy Stores, supporting this initiative aligns with the company’s mandate to aid MSMEs in developing products which are sustainable, useful and add value to the community.

According to Martin Dorville, Managing Director of Massy Stores Saint Lucia: “This initiative is timely and speaks to the nature of Massy Stores, and our pillars of success. We nurture our entrepreneurs and equip them with a platform to actualize their full potential. Notwithstanding COVID19 has exacerbated the need for us to be more resilient as a nation, we truly believe this initiative will help create much needed linkages and opportunities for growth and development.”

Entrepreneurs have the experience and commitment of the entire Nudge community to lean on and the hands-on support of Nudge Country Coordinator Kezia Preville of AdVizze Inc and Brand Ambassador Shenel Charles in St Lucia.

With the success of the pilot, locals can look forward to more. The official launch of Nudge Market Stalls unfurls November 11 and will be streamed live on Nudge Caribbean’s YouTube channel at 5pm EST. This means you have more opportunities to try something new and support these innovators in store, the very next day (November 12).

Visit the Nudge Market Stall inside Massy Stores Mega every Friday (9AM – 4PM) and Saturday (8AM – 1PM) from November 12 to December 18, and love-up on local. Show some support for these imaginative and industrious dreamers! If you have an exciting business idea and a burning desire to contribute to your community and change the world, Nudge is looking for you. Join us! Share your dream and become part of the Nudge community. Apply at nudgecaribbean.com.