The intercontinental entrepreneur

The April air is heavy with humidity at the Goa food and cultural festival in Panaji, overwhelming all those present to some degree. All except a certain Jerome Mendes. Pacing in front of his ‘King’s Pub’ stall, file in hand, Mendes instructs his employees, greets potential customers, attends to a friend, and replies to an SMS with a remarkable nimbleness, unmindful of the beads of sweat accumulating on his brow.
“It’s been very hectic, but it’s all good,” the 75-year-old businessman looks up and smiles, hitting home that he not only does what he loves, but also loves what he does.
Mendes, whose base is the popular Leonoras’ Restaurant at Verna, has his fingers in many entrepreneurial pies, both in Goa and the United Kingdom. If his business inclinations in the state lean towards the food and beverage (F&B) and Konkani film industries, he takes a particular interest in the distribution of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics in the UK. As a result, his intercontinental trips are more of a necessity than a luxury. “It’s my responsibility to see that all my businesses run smoothly, right?” he quips.
One look at the feisty Mendes would deceive many into believing that his was an overnight success story. “I worked hard to get to where I am. I guess we all do,” he says as he recounts how he had to discontinue secondary school due to his father’s inability to bear the cost of his education. “This was in the then British colony of Kenya, in Africa, where I spent most of my younger years and also landed my first job. I started off as a clerk at James Finlay Limited, best known for its production of tea,” he explains.
If he worked by day, he got an education by night. Mendes’ employer had signed him up for night school, in which he learnt English, short-hand, typing and a smattering of banking. He subsequently bagged the post of personal assistant and worked in Kenya up until it was liberated from the British rule. It was time to leave.
The young and newly-wed Mendes opted to immigrate to the United Kingdom with his wife, Anatasia, where he was lucky to land a job at the London branch of James Finlay Limited, albeit at a much lower position: that of an accounts clerk. Unsatisfied, he quit after a five-year stint and decided to try his hand at entrepreneurship. There has been no looking back since.
The first opportunity that came by was operating a popular pharmaceutical franchise in the UK, which Mendes did for a considerable number of years. He is now the owner of ‘Comedic’, a Surrey-based cosmetics company that mainly deals in the import of hair and wigs.
Although business prospects in the UK had been looking up for him, Mendes’ heart lay in Goa. “There is tremendous scope for budding entrepreneurs, yet people prefer selling off their lands and leaving the state for so-called lucrative jobs and lifestyles elsewhere. I aim to attract more Goans back home so they can see for themselves how much better it is to do business here,” he says.
He’s even shown them how. Conceptualising what is now Leonora’s Restaurant on a tract of land that was initially meant for a home, Mendes’ ventures have since branched out. The precincts of the eatery now also house a pub, a bakery franchise and a beauty salon.
“I love gardening and have always wanted to share the joy of growing vegetables and flowers in one’s own backyard. To further this cause, I’ve begun selling a variety of seeds at Leonora’s to anyone who is interested while also teaching them how to garden successfully,” the clever entrepreneur says, his eyes glimmering.
Konkani films and music are Mendes' second passion. He divulges that he has even landed a small role in the remaking of the Konkani classic, ‘Nirmon’. “I own the rights to several local productions, which I then present in Goa and abroad. It’s my contribution towards keeping the Konkani film and music industry alive,” he says.
Despite age catching up, Mendes is of the opinion that very little can slow him down. “Perhaps only ill health will be a deterrent,” he states, recalling how his wife's earlier battle with ovarian cancer had left the entire family rattled. “She has recovered fully, and although she’s lost her spleen, we both get through life with hope and a daily dose of ‘kuvalo’ (ash gourd) water—a natural and effective detoxifier,” he smiles. The couple's son, William Spencer, and daughter, Sharon Lillian, have taken a considerable load off Mendes’ shoulders by chipping in to manage his businesses in the UK.
“My mother lived till the age of 95. I don't think I'll be that lucky,” he says with a tinge of sadness that is immediately replaced by his signature dynamism. “But I still have a long way to go before I call it a day,” he beams.