By: Sainabou Sambou
Olimatou Secka, a 28-year-old woman who quit her Banking career for Café Touba vending, has shared her entrepreneurial journey with The Alkamba Times.
The young businesswoman holds a Diploma in Banking and Finance from Stratford College and has worked at Mega Bank for five consecutive years. She also had a two-year stint at Wave prior to quitting the banking profession to start a café touba business.
Talking to a TAT reporter, the young entrepreneur explained the genesis of her business. She said she began selling pepper sauce and later expanded into café touba vending, tamarind sauce, and organic honey. According to her, she started small and grew up into a recognizable business with the support of her better half.
“My husband motivated me to venture into the business. To quit my banking job was very difficult for me at the beginning. But, as a mother, it was necessary because I had to quit my job as a banker to take care of the kids and cater to the family. It was a real sacrifice, but thank God the business is running smoothly,” she recounted with glee.
Olimatou said two major things inspired her cafe touba business: her insatiable appetite for tea and the fact that foreigners, mainly Senegalese, dominate the business in the Gambia.
“Being a Gambian, I need to venture into a business dominated by Senegalese nationals. Because I want to do it differently to attract more customers, I do packaging with a unique brand called Olees,” Mrs. Secka disclosed.
The mother of two stated she supplies her branded products to the supermarkets in the Gambia. She recognized that her goods crossed borders to other countries, including Europe and the Americas because Gambians on vacation would buy her café touba in packets and take them with them. She feels encouraged by the steady growth and recognition of her business.
She continued to say that she imports raw materials from neighboring Senegal at a high exchange rate. Despite the high operating cost, she is determined to make quality products that are affordable to Gambians, especially café tuba enthusiasts.
Tabara Bah, a café touba enthusiast, told this medium that the tea is very good for health. Therefore, she drinks it once every morning. According to her, she has been drinking regularly for five years.
“I have high blood pressure, but Café Touba really helps me a lot because if I drink it with milk, it regulates my blood pressure. I feel active when I drink café touba. I spend about D70.00 on café touba weekly,” she stated.
Another great café touba drinker, Bai Modou Secka, told this reporter he drinks five cups of café touba daily.
“If I do not drink café touba daily, I feel dizzy. But when I drink it, I feel active and usually don’t easily feel hungry. At a minimum, I spend D50.00 on Café Touba daily,” he revealed.
Café Touba selling is a lucrative business in the Gambia, but it is mostly carried out by non-Gambians. The tea is a unique spicy coffee from Senegal. It is now sought after in the street corners of the Gambia, Senegal, and Bissau and is gradually infiltrating the US and Europe. In spite of its ubiquity, café touba is and shall remain a West African product.
Café Touba originated in 1902 with the Mouride Brotherhood in Senegal. This beverage is made by roasting and grinding coffee beans and various spices to create a spicy, peppery brew and slightly flavored with anise. It is typically served black and sweetened with a large amount of sugar to balance its strong taste.
The trade of café touba has become vital to Senegal’s informal economy, offering opportunities for job creation and income generation for young people. While not as widespread as in Senegal, a few young Gambians who have entered the café touba business are experiencing significant profits. They also contribute to their country’s economy by paying taxes to the government while achieving business continuity and financial independence.
