At Mfoundi Market in Yaoundé, there is a small business that keeps the neighborhood fed with fresh, affordable fruits.
Pineapples bought from Mfoundi Market for 400 to 500 FCFA very early in the morning leave sellers with enough profit to keep their small businesses running. Kongne says his fruits do not magically appear they come from hardworking farmers in nearby villages like Mbankomo and Bafia, where the soil is rich and the harvests are plentiful.
By dawn, trucks and motorbikes loaded with bananas, oranges, pineapples, and mangoes roll into the market (Mfoundi) . Kongne sorts through the fruits, picking only the best for his customers. His prices are affordable 100 and 150 CFA francs because he buys them at cheaper prices early in the morning, before sunrise. “If a whole pineapple costs 400 francs, it gives me at least six slices, a 200 franc gain, and so on,” Kongne explains.
Profit comes when you buy from the first supplier straight from the source. Kongne slices pineapples differently depending on their size. Big pineapples are cut in two while Small pineapples are divided in one. This way, fruits sizes are balanced, leaving customers with no doubt.
