The Juice man is a very popular character on the West Coast (Demerara) area. He sells cakes, juices, barks and roots in a number of villages from Tuschen to Vreed-en-Hoop. Sometimes he goes up to Parika. He would call out on the top of his voice, “Obama, Obama, Juiceeee Juice, hot dhall puri, capadulla, sasperalla, granny backbone, pine tart, cheese roll, – cakes…, Juice, come and get your juiceeee, juice up”.
Marvin grew up in Anna Catherina (West Coast Demerara) but now lives in Tuschen (East Bank Essequibo). He has been doing this business now for over 5 years. He started out walking and selling but now he rides a bicycle to reach more people. He shared a very important business point, “if you don’t go to the people [customers] they will not come to you, you sell more by going to the people [customers]”. He also says that on some days he does not have to go very far and his products will be sold out. On other days, if business is bad, he will simply have to travel farther.
The “Juice Man” in Hibiscus Place, Blankenburg, WCD.
Everything he sells is natural “from de the earth”. He grows most of the things himself but sometimes he will buy fruits from the local vendors. His mother helps him to prepare his products each night.
Marvin says that quality and consistency is very important to him “because if you don’t sell good quality, people will not buy from you”. He ensures that it is pine in the pine tarts and not pine jam. He says that ‘Alabama Flour’ makes the best cakes.
He said that it is challenging when the prices for things go up all the time. He wants to make his products better and sell them for a more reasonable price but sometimes this is difficult. “Is hard to tell people that they have to pay more”, he indicated. In addition to that he indicates that it is sometimes hard to get a steady supply of things like for example honey. He makes his juices with pure honey.
He sells in both retail and wholesale quantities – you can order large quantities of cakes, pastries, dhall puri and juices from him and he will deliver. Marvin says that he likes riding and swimming and that he love doing what he does. “Even if the weather bad I does want to come out and sell”.
“Obama, Obama, Juiceeee Juice, hot dhall puri, capadulla, sasperalla, granny backbone, pine tart, cheese roll, – cakes…, Juice, come and get your juiceeee, juice up”.
