Every weekday, “Strongy” and his wife get up at two in the morning at their San Juan home to prepare their assorted fruit packs for sale. The streets are quiet and almost empty at that hour, and he hires a car to transport boxes of the bagged fruits to three strategic locations in time for motorists to have for breakfast from 5 am. Strongy’s wife handles the sales at Morvant Junction, while his nephew, AJ, sells at the Mt Hope intersection, near the School of Business and Computer Science, Champs Fleurs.
Together with his friend, Zine, Strongy caters to his loyal customers at the busy Churchill-Roosevelt Highway (CRH) and Southern Main Road, Curepe Junction. On a good day, they will be finished selling by 9 am, if not they will stay up to 11 am. According to the 38-year-old entrepreneur, he is the originator of the concept of combining five servings of assorted fresh fruit, a vegetable, nuts and grains for $20 a bag.
Speaking to the Sunday Guardian from his base of operations opposite the former Kay Donna Drive-in cinema, Strongy said, “This is a relatively new product that's on the market right now, and it’s just going in its second year. “It’s my invention and I wasn’t influenced by the fruit cart vendors in New York.
“I used to sell fruits such as oranges or portugals individually, I got the concept when I purchased a set of encyclopaedias four years ago and read that a healthy diet was based on eating more fruits. “Doctors are always saying that people need at least five servings of fresh fruit a day, so I chose to combine fruits, a vegetable, nuts and seeds for that special price.”
The father of three said a fruit pack consists of a banana, orange, pear, grapes, apple, nuts such as pistachio or almonds, either pumpkin or sunflower seeds, dried papaya, cranberry, pineapple and baby carrots. Strongy said he also customised the fruit packs to his regular customers’ particular tastes and can provide over 200 different combinations. He said this was the trend he wanted to set where everybody can afford a nutritious and tasty breakfast fruit pack mix for only $20.
Strongy said his business venture had spawned imitators who copied his concept but were not doing it properly. He said while he put seven different fruit and vegetable varieties in his packs, his competitors were only putting about four items.
Strongy said he had gone way beyond just making money but made a commitment to give his loyal customers value, variety, and quality service. He said his product was not just a fruit pack but more a health pack, and that the combinations would correct many lifestyle diseases once used regularly.
Strongy said he always wanted to be an entrepreneur, create a niche that challenged him, let him keep his independence, benefited people while supporting his family, and he seems to have found it in his customised fruit packs.
Zine: Fruits keep me fit
Zine, 62, is living testament to eating healthy and having active lifestyle. He said he was healthy, strong and fit, and had no illnesses. Zine cycles from his Bamboo Settlement No 3 home to the Southern Main Road, Curepe Junction, every working day to help his friend, Strongy, sell fruit packs. He said the fruit mix was some of the healthiest food a person can have, he personally eats servings of fruit for his breakfast regularly.
Zine said it was an honest living and a healthy breakfast for people who purchased them. He said after he had broken his leg when he was in the construction industry, Strongy, who was his neighbour at the time, asked him if he would like to assist him in his new venture selling the fruit packs. When asked if it was dangerous work navigating among moving cars to sell, Zine replied that it wasn’t as long as one was careful.
He said they didn’t venture out where the cars were speeding on the highway but when they were at a standstill by the traffic lights, but they still had to time themselves when the lights changed. Zine said the profit margin was small, making just $3 or $4 per bag, but they did a fast turnover “selling cheap and selling plenty.” Zine said it was hard work but gratifying when they go the extra mile dropping off fruit packs for their regular customers and seeing the smile on their faces.
AJ: It’s hard work but we’re helping people eat a little healthier
AJ, 19, has been selling fruit packs with his uncle Strongy for three months now. He finished selling his quota at the Mt Hope intersection and came down to assist his uncle and Zine at their location. AJ said in his Jamaican accent, “We’re selling fruit packs for a healthy breakfast at morning time.” He said it was hard work but they loved what they were doing. He said the police didn’t give them any trouble. In fact, officers bought fruit packs from them also.
AJ said as long as the police saw that they were doing something productive, they didn’t have a problem with that. He said traffic can be dangerous at times, and that he was always on his guard not knowing when a speeding car could hit him. With his headphones on, AJ listens to his MP3 music to “get the vibes” when he walks up and down the stretch of cars selling.
He said when the sun was at its fiercest around 7 or 8 am and started to sting, he would take a break, drink some water, and head back out on the road again.
Vendors get creative
Other vendors have adapted and become creative to cater to the needs of their customers selling from roses, flowers, automotive products, kites, toys, cotton candy, market produce, flags, drinks, water, and household items such as mosquito rackets.
