THE Sun Fryer, a family-owned business opened its second shop at the Kundan Singh Village in Tamavua this week and what better way for an all-female crew business to open then on International Women’s Day.
Travelling to Flagstaff, Suva will be a worry of the past for food lovers in the area as they will now be able satisfy their food craves within a walking distance. Shop manager Teagan Fong said the company opened its first shop back in 2012 at 67 Rewa St.
“As a local food outlet, we’re very proud of the fact that we have customers from all walks of life come in on the daily to enjoy our food,” Ms Fong said.
“It started off as a small fish and chips shop, we also sold roast chicken with a little rotisserie machine that would roast three chickens at a time and a gas fryer with a little electric fryer that we’d fry our fish and chips in.
“Eleven years later we now have around 20 staff, two shops, a whole line of fryers, frying fish, fries, fried chicken and grills for burgers.”
She said in December last year, with the help of Billy Singh, they were able to book the space for the new shop at Kundan Village which is retail complex consisting of Kundan Singh Supermarket, Mobil Station, bakery and a line of reputable restaurants.
“It was very important to choose a central and popular location that had a carpark that was in front or very close to the shop space and in Suva that is quite difficult to find. “I think for me it was about coming up with my team, who over the years were predominantly women and building the business together with them.
“To have had accomplishments and to reach achievements in my personal journey in the business world, I share that pride and joy with the all-female crew and what better day to open the doors to our new outlet than on International Women’s Day.”
Ms Fong said despite the company’s challenge to meet the rising cost of raw material, she was optimistic of the shops future. “The most common challenge we face is rising costs in raw materials. “We try our best to maintain our prices in order keep our products affordable for our customers.
“We definitely plan to grow outside of Suva after we have further developed our brand here.”
Her message for women who plan to venture out into their own business was to make use of the tools available to them such as media and social networks.
“I think it’s important for any young woman coming up in business to really step out of their comfort zones and truly believe in what they’re wanting to achieve and let it be known to others. “Understanding market trends and what customers want and expect from their businesses.
“I know quite a few female entrepreneurs in Suva who have been trail-blazing in their own niches/industries and it’s really inspiring to see this.
“I definitely look forward to seeing more in future.”
