Mr. Chibueze Damian is popularly known as “Baba Akara” in Mushin area of Lagos state and he derives pleasure in making ends meet frying akara(bean cak) alongside other things like puff-puff, fried yam etc. He tells ADEOLA AKINBOBOLA how he built houses, trained all his children in school from the business.
Chibueze , 53 who hails from Ebonyi state decided not to follow what other men are doing such as buying and selling of spare parts etc. He said though the akara business may look small but it thrives as he fends for his family through it.
The trend of frying akara, yam and pap (akamu) also paying off positively, as he makes brisk business.
It is now cheaper to get the worms in the tummy gainfully busy and keep hunger at bay.
Checks revealed that with less than N300, people can buy akara, puff-puff and with two sachets of water, they get filled and soon discover that they can spend less and stay healthy, given the rich nutrients in akara which is made from Beans.
Latter day fast food
A random tour across the country revealed that due to high patronage of its hawkers, akara, has become a newfound fast food for residents.
Baba Akara who came to Lagos with his 5 children and wife said he started the business in 1998, 25 years ago has been his only means of livelihood which he uses to cater for his family.
He said people see the business as the cheapest means of getting money but it goes beyond that because it is only the strong-willed that can engage in that type of business.
I wake up as early as 3am every day to catch up with my customers in the market except on Sundays.
“Any day I fail to wake up early, I may not meet my customers who arrived the market before me and might have bought from other places.
“Since most of my customers know that I sell fresh and hot akara, I leave the house early to satisfy them and in turn, make small profit”, he said.
Booming business
He said he sells up to 10 derica per day, morning and night and before the day runs out, they have finished.
According to him, “A derica of Beans now sells for N1,200 and I sell my akara N50 each depending on the size. Some of the bigger fresh ones go for about N100 each.
Hard times
He confirmed that the business has been good, saying: “I make more sales now compared to last year. People buy a lot of Akara now unlike last year, when patronage was very low. More people buy a lot of akara because the economy is hard.
Business hazards
He said the greatest challenge of their business is the constant harassment by officials of the taskforce adding that in most cases, many basins of fried akara have been seized during such raids.
He recalled that penultimate Saturday, when taskforce officials stormed the market to raid people selling by the road side. He was almost caught and had to abandon a full basin of akara and ran away, to avoid arrest.
“As I watched from a distance, I saw them lift the basin of akara inside their Toyota Hilux van and drove off. So, that was how I lost both the capital and income that I would have realised after selling that day” he said.
According to him, akara business may look common to some people but it is putting food on some people’s tables, fattening bank accounts, buying properties and sponsoring person’s in school.
He explained that the business is lucrative it is not an exaggeration. Let’s reason it out together, if you go to where akara is sold especially early in the morning, you will see a long queue waiting to be served.
His earnings from the business
According him, the akara may not reach everybody. “Assuming you sold akara that is worth N10,000 in a day your gain should be about N4,000 on more.
“It therefore means in a month you can be earning up to #200,000 or more. Now is akara business lucrative or not? You can keep the answer to yourself.
Akara business is something you can easily put together, it does not require special skill. However, you have to master the art of producing delicious akara that will increase the number of buyers. The procedure given in this post will help you achieve that.
Everything is undergoing innovation, akara business shouldn’t be an exception. Every business need packaging as such think of a better way to make akara business classic.
Use a very fine packaging material to supply the akara to your customers. The packaging can attract other buyers but the bean cake taste should reflect the package. Because at the end that is what matters. You can only produce when you have orders and in other to be fast you can keep bean flour close by.
Also you can supply at a wholesale price to restaurants, food vendors and others who will need akara for sale. It is high time we start supplying akara the same way snacks are supplied to sellers.
Location
Akara business needs a very strategic position where customers can see you and come for patronage. It should be;
A very busy road
School or Institutions environment
A junction that has many route,
Close to residential or commercial centre.
The place she be an open space where you can do the frying too. If you run your akara business inside you may end up eating them with your family except you are supplying. A place that doesn’t have plenty competitors is ideal.
The size of buyers
You have to factor this into your plans so that you will not produce more than you can sell. Akara will not be as delicious as it was the next day. Instead of it to remain rather let it not be enough. But make sure you put your customers into consideration. If they keep coming without having to buy they will look for another place.
When to produce
Akara business is early morning or evening business. Your akara should be ready as early as 6am if you start preparing it later in the day the sales will not be like that of morning or evening.
It is not every beans that should be used in preparing akara. Find out which is the best and buy that for use but the black eye beans is preferred. Another beans type to use is the brown beans. Like my sister will say if you use town beans for akara you don’t need to add any ingredient again because the akara will be very nice on its own.
But make sure you put all the necessary ingredients because you just have to produce akara that will keep your customers coming back.
Beans
Vegetable oil
Salt
Pepper
Onions
Crayfish
Select the beans and remove stones, sticks, chaff etc.
Soak the beans in water allow the water to cover the beans. So that the beans can absorb the water and swell for the coat to peel off easily.
Scrub the beans to remove the coat with your hands but since it is on commercial basis in other to be fast pour the beans in a mortar and use pestle to scrub off the coat.
Use plenty water to wash the peeled coat off, you can sundry the peel and sell to livestock farmers.
Use little water to grind the beans or carry it to commercial grinders to grind for you if you do not have the machine.
Put a pot of oil on a low heat fire.
Cut a portion of the ground beans into mortar (enough to fry at once) and turn in a circular motion with pestle until it becomes light.
Add pepper, crayfish, onion and salt into it and turn.
Make the oil to be hot but not too hot.
Use your hand to be cutting the beans purée into the oil according to the size your desire. But in other for your akara balls to be in uniform you can use a small spherical spoon to be cutting the purée into the oil.
Use long iron spoon to turn the akara to the other side if one side is brown.
Remove the akara from the oil when both sides are brown.
Put them in a sieve for the oil to drain.
