Co-founder and CEO of Honey Bun Jamaica, Michelle Chong, says she is ready to hand over the reins to the new generation.

Speaking on Taking Stock with Kalilah Reynolds, Chong revealed that she has taken a step back from the day-to-day operations of the company and instead, acts in a support role for Deputy-CEO, Daniel Chong.

“I’m still very much available to the Deputy CEO and he manages most of the operations of the business and you know being a young Engineer he has a lot of talent that I grew up in business without,” Chong said.

“But my new role has been the founder of the Honey Bun Foundation and that’s where I’m really passionate about giving back and helping smaller businesses to develop their business models for growth,” she added. 

Chong, who has been the CEO of the family-run business since its inception in 1982, said she wants the transition of power to be gradual especially as the company approaches the landmark $1 billion mark.

For Honey Bun’s first quarter, which ended December 31, the company saw a 15% increase in revenue to $941 million.

“It is a number that we’re watching and we’re not expecting that it’s going to take that much because we have a lot of market that we can service quite easily once we get our new facility,” the CEO said.

“But we keep an eye on our sales numbers all the time, it is very important and that will be a significant accomplishment for us,” she added.

Chong noted that the improved revenues are a result of increased production efficiency.

“We have been investing in equipment even this year so you know if you can increase your efficiency by a percent it means that you can get a lot more on the bottom line,” she said.

The CEO said that once their new production facility is up and running, the company will be able to increase revenues even further by introducing new products. 

Honey Bun recently announced a $1 billion investment in a new production facility in St Catherine to expand their current production capabilities. Chong noted that the bakery has now outgrown its current production space and for continued growth a new space is needed.

Chong said that the new production facility should be up and running by the end of 2024 and develop Honey Bun products should hit the shelves shortly thereafter.