In an interview with Herbert he pointed out that despite his bakery, Fancy Loaf which at the time of negotiations with the Government of St Kitts and Nevis being represented he saw it fit to keep the bread prices down. He pointed out that his latest bakery, Honey Crunch recently opened its door and felt that while bakers are no longer enjoying concessions on certain products he strongly believes that arising the price of bread at this time would be unrealistic.
He said that while the bakers are faced with challenges he feels strongly that they could have given the general public another six to nine months of at the same price before instituting an increase in the bread prices. "I strongly believe that the other products should be sold at whatever price the bakers wants to sell at because if your product is good then the public would purchase it regardless of the cause however with bread its different as we all need bread whether we are poor or rich so increasing the price for bread didn't make sense at the time," Herbert stressed.
He feels that keeping his prices at the same despite the increase was "a timely intervention" thus resulting in his bakery having to absorb the full amount of the price increase in a number of items through other areas such as the other baked products.
According to Herbert who is also the Managing Director for Quality Trading Supplies Supermarket and Quality Trading Wholesale that prior to the official increase the company had given a commitment to government and its customers that they were not going to increase the bread prices. "I had even telephone them (Government) when certain bakers sought to unilaterally increase the bread prices indicating that while it was a challenge to us we were prepared to ‘help out' and not increase," he said.
According to Herbert the decision to keep to=he bread prices down was done so "in good faith" and despite the fact that concessions enjoyed by bakers in the past are no longer available thus resulting in bakers having to incur additional costs to run their bakeries he sought to keep his commitment.
He said that with 2009 already here local consumers were fortunate to still be able to continue benefiting from "the cheapest bread in the Caribbean and even further a field" and that towards the end of this year while he may be forced to increase prices there would be other avenues that his two bakeries will seek to provide avenues for local consumers to garner reduction and other benefits owing to the ongoing financial crisis that the world is faced with.
Herbert admitted that the smaller bakers are facing the squeeze more noting that while the larger bakers are willing and ready to ‘eat out' the smaller bakers emphases has to be place on ensuring that the smaller bakeries scan remain in the market. "there area few big bakers who wants to control the market to themselves forgetting that while it might be nice to them to clean out the smaller bakers a bigger problem will arise in increase in unemployment," he suggested.
Herbert admitted that while some of his competing bakeries are understandably upset with him for not increasing his bread prices he is determined to engage them and other relevant stakeholders in an atmosphere of cordiality in an effort to settle any issue while addressing their concern.
Herbert added that he believes strongly that as a businessman it is his responsibility to lend a helping hand to assist the government as they attempt to address economic issues facing its population. "At the end of the day whatever I do to help is going to benefit everyone and more in particular the poor as regardless of one's political and social affiliation, we are all affected in some way," he declared.