I would not know of the wealth that accompanied one of the most common foods in my country if I had not read up about it. As many of you know, Nigeria is a third world country with vast resources. We continue to be among the most underdeveloped countries for reasons you best understand when you live here. It was a revelation reading about the Agricultural abundance of my country.
From what I read, Nigeria was, in 2008, number one in Yam production in globally. We have about ten states that grow yam in Nigeria and contribute immensely to the value generated from the Nigerian Yam market in billions of dollars. Whilst this advertises the wealth packed in the yam business, I can say that it is not easy getting your hands on it for a good price especially when it is out of season.
Been a couple of months since DD was born and the lessons just never end. DD started from just Bean Cakes popularly known as Akara or Kosei in Nigeria. We spent a lot of time, effort and money bringing it to where it is now and we still have a long way to go. The star product of DD is the Golden Yam which is yam cooked in a sugar syrup and fried in egg batter. We serve it with pepper sauce. Fluffing delicious.
We began with other kinds of fast foods [Akara still in the picture with a twist] but so far, Golden Yam trumps daily. Laborers eat it daily, so do business men/women even students [secondary and tertiary]. We get them each day at the shop. We also make deliveries, which has given DD an edge. I guess that is our own UPS [unique point of sale]. We do what most of the traditional restaurants around us don't at affordable prices. It is also worth mentioning that there is a big name competitor not far from us. They have been around for years and they made a name for themselves with their Egg Yam. We call ours Golden Yam because of the stark difference in both appearance and shape.
Ours is a little higher in price but the locals still prefer to patronize us. Why? We have another edge. We do not just serve food to customers, we serve ‘what we eat’ and that separates us from other restaurants and eateries around us. The concern we face daily at DD is the availability of yam. DD has crossed the 50-Customers-A-Day threshold, which is great but also poses an even greater challenge; the source.
Yam has seasons like every other grown crop. Harvesting season is around 180 – 270 days upon planting. Then it circulates for about 100 days at good prices until the inflation begins at the glimpse of scarcity. Why? Remember I said Nigeria was the highest Yam producer in the world. Neighboring countries like Cameroon and Ghana buy yam from us. Couple that with the yam traders that buy in trailers and pickups and you have a good reason for Yam to jump the rope 60 days from the harvest period.
This has been the cross of DD. Yam! DD has not gotten to the space where she can comfortably buy one hundred tubers at once and while I am anxious and biting my fingers time to time, I am hopeful that it will all turn around. The availability of yam is very crucial for DD to build her customer base and hit that 300-Customers-A-Day mark. Demand increases daily. It has gotten to the point that people book a night before because Golden Yam finishes as early as 12pm. It is only that way because resources are limited. This has brought us to something of a standstill where we struggle to maintain our regulars while building relationships with new customers.
This stresses me out. Daily, I am making calculations and drawing mental charts on how to appease these people without losing core principles or quality. Financially, there is only so much I can do. As I pointed out earlier, resources are vital for this thing. For now, I do not have much of it but what I have; I use and use it well.
With all this said, harvest begins in August. I am desperately working towards getting [saving] enough finances towards this. You know how you stack up fiat waiting for the bear season to buy that crypto. That is how it is for me. I need to have enough money ready to buy at least three hundred tubers of Yam come mid-August. Warehousing and the weather have been put into consideration. The weather would be cool and permit for bunch of yams to co-exist without spoilage due to heat. If I use five tubers a day currently, come August, I should be able to do ten a day because Yam is available. This way, DD expands and reaches new customers retaining her old ones. From calculations, three hundred tubers should last about nine to ten weeks. See? I would need more than three hundred tubers…lol. Five hundred would be more like it.
So much to do and so much to learn. I have thought so hard, about what I can do to raise the capital I need to embark on this endeavor and trust me; nothing is coming to me yet. I told @samsmith1971 in the comments that I was not sure I would be able to write about finding solutions because I have not found it yet. Still, that YouTube video she shared got me thinking that I may be looking at this the wrong way. This just made me ask, “so what is the right way?” and that was it. I still do not get it and I have not figured it out either. However, I am hopeful that I will and when I do… joy!
Meanwhile, since I cannot find the cure for this current predicament, I will focus on finding rest for my mind, which is fundamental to pioneering this venture that begun as a dream. The stress and the frustration? Maybe that is what I need and not what I should run from. I just have to figure out how to steer them the right path to wealth creation.
Join INLEO this May. Click HERE to view the calendar of the Month and how to participate.
All Images are mine
Posted Using InLeo Alpha
