On East Grove Main Road, a busy stretch in Georgetown, Guyana, a doubles shed stands at the roadside. Overlooking the small tent is a MovieTowne complex reminiscent of Wrightson Road in Port-of-Spain. Massy Stores and Starbucks are also part of the space—all sights familiar to any Trinbagonian.
Despite it being early afternoon, there’s a steady flow of customers pulling over to grab a doubles. The business, called Trini Gyal Doubles, is owned by Crystal Azeez, who now lives in Guyana with her Guyanese husband, Amar. In under a year, Azeez has expanded from a single doubles stand to ten across the country, making her one of many Trinidadians eyeing Guyana’s economic boom for business.
It all started with a burger venture called Double A Burgers, but Guyanese customers—and curious tourists — kept mistaking it for a doubles stand. “People would stop on the street and ask if we were selling doubles,” Azeez said. That mix-up changed everything.
“We never had a doubles background. All I knew to do was eat doubles. But we went home, we tried to make it, and we shared it with the neighbourhood—and people liked it,” she said. They started selling on weekends, then on Fridays. “From then to now, we have never been out of customers.”
Today, Trini Gyal Doubles operates six days a week across Guyana. In a rapidly growing market boosted by oil and gas development, Azeez’s business is riding the wave. “A lot of Trinidadians are coming over to work in the energy sector, so the economy is growing. And many Guyanese who lived in T&T and learned about doubles have come back to set up businesses of their own,” she said.
But the economics of selling doubles in Guyana is not the same. Azeez charges GY$200 per doubles— roughly TT$20—but she faces significantly higher costs. A single tank of gas costs GY$4,500 (about TT$200), and chadon beni can reach GY$1,500 per pound (TT$80). She uses up to 12 tanks of gas per night. She has also adjusted her product for the local market: thicker channa and bara, as Guyanese customers prefer.
Riding the Construction Wave
Just a short drive away, Jason Samuel and Cruz Abraham, both Trinidadians, are building their own success story. They founded JSA Engineering and Construction Company Limited in Guyana last October—a move that’s proven timely, as major construction projects are popping up in nearly every town.
From hotels to new roads, Samuel has found a strong foothold in Guyana’s building boom. His company is currently working on a three-storey structure that will house a bowling alley, handling everything from the steel frame to civil works, electricals and plumbing. They’ve also designed a seven-storey office building and a housing development.
“I would say in the Caribbean right now, Guyana is the place to be. It’s the place to invest,” Samuel said in an interview with Guardian Media. “But when you come in here, you need to bring value as well.”
He believes collaboration is key. “The locals here—once they have a good team from sister countries that can help certify, train and partner—we could be perfect in five years.”
Samuel has already set his sights on long-term growth.
Business Tension Beneath the Surface
Still, the welcome hasn’t been without friction. President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Kathy Smith—the Chamber’s first female president in its 136-year history — told Guardian Media that while many Trinidadian-owned businesses have joined the Chamber, some local businesspeople have voiced concerns.
One example she gave involved joint ventures. In some cases, a Trinidadian partner who supplies the materials reportedly insists the Guyanese company buy only from them—and then drastically increases prices.
“It ends up being an unfair practice,” Smith said. “Yes, there’s a lot of money and opportunity in Guyana, but that company still has to survive—paying admin costs, staff salaries, rent, subcontractors, and more.”
She also said she’s heard complaints that some Trinidadian managers only visit once or twice a year, leaving Guyanese country managers to run operations with little support or recognition. “I’m told there was some sense of, ‘I know, you don’t know’,” she added.
Abraham, from JSA, agreed that any business entering Guyana must do so with respect.
“This is not home,” he said. “When we come into this market, we have to consider this is somebody else’s home. We need to respect it. We need to share it with them—our knowledge, our experience—and we need to be honest.”
Despite the complaints, Smith made clear that Trinidadians are welcome.
“With our growing oil and gas industry, Guyana doesn’t yet have all the capacity needed. Yes, we have local content legislation to ensure Guyanese benefit where capable, but we also welcome support from countries like Trinidad that have experience in the sector,” she said. (Trinidad and Tobago Guardian)
Officials of JSA Engineering and Construction Company Limit (T&T Guardian)
