Trader in grasshopper delicacy hops to fortunes

By MANGOA MOSOTA

Mohammed Kassa, 54, has educated his children, the firstborn up to university, and built two bungalows from selling fried grasshoppers.

On average, the father of four makes TSh80,000 (Sh5,000) daily after settling other costs.

Kassa started selling fried grasshoppers, known in Kiswahili as senene, in Bukoba, Tanzania, about a decade ago. Today, he has opened outlets in all major towns in Tanzania and even exports the delicacy to Saudi Arabia and Europe.

Mohammed Kassa displays a photograph of him with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete.

"Kazi ni kujitahidi. Kama wewe ni mvivu, utakufa masikini. Lakini ukitumia akili, utajiri ni wako (Business is about hard work. If you are lazy, you will die poor. But if you utilise your brains, you will become wealthy," he says. "My first born is in university, and another one graduated from a tertiary college, and has secured employment. Two others have completed secondary education, and are waiting to join college.

Permanent houses

"The last born is in Form One," he says with a smile of satisfaction. He has built two permanent houses in Bukoba — a four-bedroom bungalow and another three-bedroom house — from his venture. Kassa, whom locals refer to as Baba Senene, was the first person to start selling fried grasshoppers in Bukoba, 10 years ago. Today, he has built a business empire and hires about 50 casuals daily. His business brand name is Super Senene. "It was difficult and challenging as people would not understand how a grown up man would sell fried insects," he recalls. "One of the challenges I faced was convincing people from communities that do not eat grasshoppers to try them. It is only the Haya who have been eating grasshoppers for ages," he explains. Being an astute businessman, he says, he knew the tricks of winning over customers.

Stiff competition

"I would suggest to a potential buyer to taste a spoonful of the delicacy for free, and then spit it out," he says laughing. "When they swallowed and smacked their lips instead of spitting out I immediately knew I had won the customer over," he says.

He, however, says the Maa and Makonde took a long time to accept the delicacy. Despite stiff competition from more than 50 other senene traders in Bukoba, Kassa has maintained loyal customers.

"I eat grasshoppers while taking alcohol and with ugali, rice and even tea.

In fact, they are popular with drinkers in bars," says Hamis Magesa, 36, who works with an non-governmental organisation in Bukoba. Kassa has about 50 casuals, 20 women and 30 men, who he pays according to the amount of work done. The workers earn between TSh4,000 and TSh8,000 (Sh250 and Sh500) daily.

The affable, elderly man has received several awards for providing an alternative to the foods many people are used to. Kassa has received recognition from President Jakaya Kikwete and the Trade minister. The president and other dignitaries visited his stall at the Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair, an annual event that attracts thousands of businessmen from all over the world. The VIPs congratulated him for promoting grasshopper eating. For the last three years, Kassa has been declared the best grasshopper seller in East Africa’s largest country during the exhibition held every July. The dark-skinned man not only sells the insects, which are rich in protein, but also prepares them. He oversees his stall at Soko Kuu, while his wife, Hidaya Kassa, supervises the frying of the insects.

"Last year, the president urged me to open an outlet in Dar es Salaam," he says. He says he is taking the president’s challenge seriously. How the delicacy is harvested and cooked There are specialists who trap the grasshoppers using strong light, and drums. As the grasshoppers move towards the light, they hit a board and fall into a huge container. Kassa’s employees then mix the insects with cassava flour to minimise peeling and make removal of wings, tails and antennae easy. They (insects) are then washed, and dried. Onions and salt are added before they are deep-fried until they turn golden brown.

"There is constant stirring to ensure they cook evenly. Frying takes about 45 minutes," says one staff, next to a large sufuria over fireplace. The grasshoppers are then put in large plastic containers, ready for the market. The delicacy can last up to six months, when stored in good condition.

Neema Lutatenekwa, a resident of Bukoba, says she has been eating the delicacy since childhood. "I am from the Haya community, where the insects have been part of our meals, from time immemorial. My grandmother used to make soup from them, which I drunk before reporting to school in the morning," says Lutatenekwa, 36. She says in her community, the insects have a cultural connotation.

"It has been a tradition that when a woman prepares a meal of senene for her husband, the following day, he buys her a Kitenge, she says.