There’s nothing that excites me more than a new brand on the scene here in Trinidad and Tobago, especially one that takes advantage of our mature technology status. Introducing Choewz (pronounced “choose”) a mobile application that was created to act as a platform for the food and hospitality industries. The app is intended to be open to all businesses, artisans and entrepreneurs with products or services in the food and beverage arena.
Owner, Ramon Quan Chan says everyone is welcome to utilise Choewz as a forum to showcase their skills and talents. “CHOEWZ is for anyone involved in any form of food or beverage, such as entrepreneurs who sell hot sauce at home or anchar, wine, juice, fresh produce to pastry chefs, bartenders, caterers, to people who make stew, curry or even dhal at home to farmers, food trucks, food karts, to entrepreneurs who sell doubles on the street or chow or pies, to restaurants and food delivery services. We at Choewz understand what the public wants so you will not only see the products and services on Choewz but also the people behind these amazing products and services while shifting peoples habits in the way they view and operate within these industries.”
Brands that join Choewz will have complete control of their profile allowing them to present the best they have to offer to users of the app. “Businesses will be able to upload descriptions along with photos or videos of their products and services as well as real time locations. They will be able to customise their profile to suite their specific business or industry. Entrepreneurs will be able to operate and manage their entire business profile and develop close relationships with each one of their customers through Choewz on any mobile device or computer while making live updates at any time,” Ramon said.
Brands will also be able to take advantage of the promotions feature allowing them to conceptualise and execute promotions specific to their operations and customers. “Choewz also has real-time mapping to accommodate entrepreneurs who operate at different locations each day allowing users to locate them after placing their order.”
Choewz also acts as a storefront for brands that use the platform. “Users of the app can place orders for any product or service from any business on Choewz. They can hire any business or entrepreneur for any event or occasion all within the app. They can also choose delivery if said business provides that option within the app. Users will be able to scroll through different categories of businesses by country. A user can hire a caterer or pastry chef for any event or occasion and confirm the entire menu and service while making the process smooth, easy and efficient for everyone involved. A user can order a product from a food kart and specify what time they will collect or what time they will like the product be delivered to them along many other features. All from the app”
Choewz seems like a great platform to promote small business in Trinidad and Tobago and beyond while also being a B@B platform for brands to do business amongst themselves via the app. But where did the brand start? “The name Choewz came about after a lot of trial and error. The idea stems from my belief in our freedom of choice, coupled with the dynamic world we live in today. It’s very important that every brand be identifiable and unique. Choewz is unique in name as well as offering, being a professional marketplace where every user on the app has the ability to choose a business whose services they would like to utilize or partake in.”
Ramon does not do Choewz full-time and balances a full-time job with his commitment to the app. “It is extremely challenging trying to balance a full-time job and still have a semblance of a personal life. This coupled with the fact that I’m also currently pursuing a course that would assist me to better manage my business as it grows. That being said, the plan is to pursue this on a full-time basis, as soon as it becomes a sustainable business from which I could live off the profits.”
The inspiration for Ramon to start Choewz goes back to his childhood as he confides he always had a passion for food and travel. “You could say I was somewhat of a foodie at heart and was privileged to attend the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute, where I spent many years working in the industry with caterers, bartenders, restaurants, resorts and hotels, both locally and internationally. This is where I observed first-hand that these industries and services weren’t as connected as they should be. It is difficult to operate in these industries as both an entrepreneur and customer but I am determined to try and solve this problem by redirecting people’s habits as to how they view and operate within these industries.”
Along his journey, Ramon admits to having many memorable milestones. “I would first have to say, academically, my degrees in Tourism and Hospitality Management, Culinary Management, Diploma in Culinary arts and a few short courses in Professional Bartending and Bar Management along with Advance Mixology are my major milestones. And recently, it would have to 100% be the creation of Choewz from the ground up and in doing so, securing the trademark for it.”
As with every entrepreneur who tells me their story, Ramon admits that the path hasn’t been without its struggles and subsequesntly, lessons learned. “I have learnt you must be resilient, have faith in both your product and yourself and hold steadfast to your dreams, if you are to achieve great things as an entrepreneur.” As for any advice to budding entrepreneurs? “As a future entrepreneur, you must understand the journey will be long and tough, sleep will be minimal and a vague memory but most importantly, you must stay focused and put in the work.”
Building a brand is serious business and in doing so with Choewz, Ramon has his own definition of a brand. “A brand is a strategic representation or image developed by a single entity or organisation that is representative of the services or products they put out.” As for the difference he sees between a business and a brand, Ramon says, “A business develops any product or service which operates for financial gain, whereas a brand is the image or representation of what you put out there for the public to hopefully embrace and patronize.”
When it comes to the local brand community Ramon is seeing growth but wants to see more. “For a country the size of Trinidad and Tobago there are some well-known brands, however I would like to see a lot more local brands created with our Caribbean uniqueness in mind.”
So if your a brand, small business, artisan or entrepreneur looking to promote your brand via a mobile application, get in touch with Choewz and start creating your profile today. Until the next brand story…
The Brandom 