Everybody eats bread

Bukola Adesanya is a retired primary school teacher in Ibadan, Oyo State. She has gained popularity in her Alakia neighbourhood and is now referred to as, Iya Alafia (after the bread she sells).

Mrs. Adesanya tells NEXT on Sunday more about making a living from selling bread.

Why did you choose to sell bread?

Bread is an everyday item, because Nigerians eat bread a lot. Bread is a staple food that cuts across the social class.

When did you start?

I started the business about four years ago when I retired from the state civil service. I am a widow, so I need something that will bring in a daily income and at the same time will not give me much stress.

How do you get your supplies?

I get my supply from the baker. They send their delivery van to my shop. I can’t possibly go to the bakery to get the bread because the quantity will be too much for me to carry.

How many dozens do you take in a day?

It depends, because the sizes and prices of the bread vary. The prices range from N50 to N200. I collect more of the lower price range than the higher ones but in all I take about 50 dozens a day.

And how much of these do you sell?

I sell almost everything at the end of the day, I start off as early as 6am. Most families eat bread for breakfast, and others eat bread as a snack or main food. This helps with the sale.

Why don’t you sell bread from other bakeries?

I only buy from Alafia bakery, which is how I got my nickname. I am like a major dealer and it is the bakery that gave me the kiosk I use in selling the bread so I can’t sell other types of bread in it. Moreover, I trust the bakery to always supply me with bread and I don’t have to look for bread around.

What about competition from other brands?

I am not worried about the competition because I am already well established and the bread is good. If the product is good, people will go for it. People buy the kind of bread they are comfortable with and the one I sell is one of those that people in this area like to eat. Most people even complain when they have to go and buy other types of bread if I don’t have.

Which price range sells the most?

This also varies according to how much people can afford at a particular point in time, which in turn depends on what they want to use if for or how many mouths they have to feed. The N50 ones and the sliced ones of N120 or N180 sells very well.

The market seems to be growing daily?

The market will continue to grow because many other bakeries are coming in and people now prefer to eat more of fast food than cook in their homes, especially the working mothers.

How about your profit margin?

The profit margin is not high; we make the price of one piece of bread on each dozen we sell. If I buy one dozen of N50 worth of bread then I make N50 on it. The profit margin depends on how much you sell and what price range you sell.

What are the challenges you face?

The major challenge is finance. The dream of every business person is to expand his business; profit from the business is not enough to allow the kind of expansion I want. First, you have to spend as you earn because of the economic situation, bakers increase prices as they please while reducing the size of the bread.

Besides, I would love to own my own bakery someday, but I am financially constrained and no bank will want to lend money to a bread seller. It is not even advisable to borrow money on such high interest rate.

What then is the future of your business?

People will always eat bread. There is no substitute for it yet, as it helps most housewives and working mothers decide an easy way to feed their families and single men can’t do without it.