VITORINA Arieta has been selling juice and roti parcels in Nabua for over four years and has made good profit from it.

Her small but consistent business operates from a spot beside the bus bay where the Raiwaqa buses park to pick passengers, near the Shop N Save Supermarket in Nabua.

She said this location allows her to serve a regular flow of customers throughout the day, particularly school children and workers in the area.

She starts her day as early as 6am, preparing her goods to be ready for the early rush every morning.

Vitorina makes juice from tropical fruits such as pawpaws, mangoes, bananas and dragon-fruits when it’s in season.

She enjoys going to the market to pick out fruits that are in season to add into her ingredients, whereas on other days she simply mixes Tang satches she buys from the supermarket. “Many school children stop by for a glass of fresh cold juice to quench their thirst and a roti parcel before boarding their buses. These are my main target customers,” she said.

She also sees a surge in customers in the afternoons, as students return from school.

Vitorina also caters for local workers who depend on her affordable meals during their lunch breaks. She said many of them regularly stop by, often in large numbers, making her a familiar and reliable food provider in the area.

Vitorina believes that consistent presence has earned her the trust and support of her customers, some of whom rely on her daily for their meals.

“Most of my customers know me and especially the workers around here as well,” she said.

In a day, she would make at least 50 roti parcels and 20 samosas. She said they would be sold out by lunchtime most of the time.

Like many small vendors, Vitorina faces several challenges as well on certain days.

One of the major difficulties she mentioned was the unpredictable weather.

She said rain or extreme heat affects her ability to set up and sell comfortably at times. “These challenges, along with other small daily ones, doesn’t stop me from coming to sell everyday.”

Despite these obstacles, she remains committed to her work, never letting the weather dampen her spirit or disrupt her schedule to serve customers daily.

Vitorina attributes her ongoing success to her son who has a full-time job.

She said through her business, she was able to build their home and also managed to get a car to help with transportation.

“Just through 50 cents a glass of juice, $1.50 a roti parcel and $2 a samosa, I was able to achieve a lot of things with my family’s support. “If you play your cards right, you will get to where you want to be and everything will fall into place.”

Vitorina believes that a strong work ethic is essential for anyone wanting to earn an honest living.

She said she was also able to help out with some of her relative’s education through her income.

From her experience, the business has really helped put some of her loved ones through school and also cater for their education needs.

Vitorina encourages women and young people who are unemployed, to always be mindful that there are other things they can do.

She said that most of the time, we tend to neglect these little efforts that usually takes us somewhere we wouldn’t always imagine.

“Be positive and everything will be exactly how you wish they’d be. It just takes a little faith,” she said.