A former Courts Fiji Limited employee, Ziaud Din says he is fortunate to have started his business before the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic affected Fiji last year.

Mr Din, 29, who lost his job in January last year, started with his food business; Wise’s Food Fantasy Labasa, inspired by the name of his only son Usaia Tabaiwalu nicknamed Wise.

He said he never thought the situation would worsen to the extent of business closures, reduced hours, employee layoffs, movement restrictions, curfews and other COVID related protocols would become a daily norm.

He said through his business, he at least earned some income to support his family.

The second wave

Mr Din said the second wave of the pandemic had really affected his business.

“We had to think innovatively by stepping out of our comfort zone and providing free food delivery service for our customers to boost our sales,” he said.

Mr Din said his uncle and cousin assisted him with preparing different meals for their customers.

The menu

He said they provided menus ranging from western-influenced dishes like chicken burgers, fish burgers, lamb burgers, chicken and lamb barbeque, fries, and Chinese dishes to traditional Fijian dishes like lovo and fish parcel.

Operating seven days a week with daily updates on their menu shared on Facebook.

Family

Mr Din and his family reside at Benau, Labasa, three kilometres away from Labasa Town.

Wife, Lusiana Buli said the business was a beacon of hope for their family.

“There are many expenses we have to meet since we have a child who is less than two years old and there are other basic household necessities,” Ms Buli said.

She said during these challenging times, having your own business was the preferred option because the fear of losing your fixed job was relatively high due to the downturn in business activity.

Mr Din acknowledged his family members who helped him financially setup the business.

Edited by Losirene Lacanivalu

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