Meet Risper Bwire at one of the offices in Kericho Central Business District where she is busy distributing meticulously packaged fruits in tins to her customers.
The ever-bubbly good-spirited Risper exudes an aura of passion which gives her mileage in attracting customers at various offices and shops within Kericho town where she distributes her well-sliced fruits at a friendly price of Sh50 per package.
She is quick to point out that for the last three years she has been peddling fruits, she has been able to not only survive the tough economic times but also help her widowed mother who lives in Kisumu giving her a comfortable life.
“When my father passed on a few years back, it was a bit rough for my mother who did not have a job but through my fruit salad hustle, I fend for her and she is happy,” added Risper.
On a God-sent day when luck trails her, Risper intimates she can bank up to Sh2500 profit while on normal days she earns an average of Sh1500.
The 25-year-old salad vendor started her fruits’ business with only Sh500 in 2019 and from the look of things, three years down the line, she has a reason to smile saying at the moment, she is able to buy stock worth Sh1000 every day.
“It’s a good business for me especially because I am passionate about food and nutrition and I get profit from it. I make good profits and my customers are happy with how I scrupulously package fruit salad in tins.” Risper explains.
As if that is not enough, Risper further clarifies that cleanliness is one of the major factors to consider when getting into the fruits salad business noting that customers are very particular and judgemental about one’s level of hygiene and neatness.
“Every day is a learning opportunity for me. I have noticed that customers will scrutinize even the dressing and how you present yourself. So, I invest in myself by looking good and packaging my fruits sumptuously,” adds Risper.
Her scrumptious packaged fruit salad comprises a variety of fruits including watermelon, bananas, pineapples, avocado, pawpaw, and mangoes, among others excellently sliced and sprinkled with small shreds of grated beetroot.
She however says she grapples with meager challenges including hiked prices of fruits and scarcity of certain fruits like mangoes yet such varieties are highly demanded by her customers.
“Also, in Kericho, it’s usually cold and at times when it’s very chilly, most customers don’t prefer taking fruits, so it’s a challenge but I work hard to ensure I sell all packaged fruit salads,” said Risper.
Risper confides that she is still single and hopeful of getting married to a hardworking man in the near future but for now, she says all her energies and focus are geared towards scaling heights in entrepreneurship by expanding her pudding fruits salad business.
“I am planning to open a very big fruits parlor in Kericho town. I recently started saving with a local SACCO and they have promised to give me a loan of at least three times my savings. So, when I’m ready, I’ll borrow and start a fruits parlor where I hope to employ several people,” remarked Risper.
She also disclosed that she dropped out of college where she was pursuing a diploma course in Hospitality due to financial constraints in her family after the untimely demise of her father and that is why she decided to try her hand in the fruits hawking business.
“I encourage anybody who is going through unfortunate circumstances in life to arise and from despair and try out even odd jobs like me,” stressed Risper.
As Risper concluded the interview with Kenya News Agency, she reminisced on how far she has come mentioning that through her experience, the secret to any successful business venture is passion, consistency, and meeting customers’ needs.
By Kibe Mburu
