Today we’d like to introduce you to Fatim Dasse
Hi Fatim, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
It was never a dream to start Foodian’s Place, to be honest. It started as a revolution against injustice. I had just moved to Minnesota in 2015 and I was going to school in Mankato, a small town full of international students.
If there is one thing that all international students can agree on is that we often miss our country and one thing that usually helps soothe that pain is having good meals from there. But unfortunately, I realized that even that was a struggle.
We only had one African store in Mankato and knowing that, the owner was overpricing the few ingredients we could get. I found it so unfair so I decided to do something about it. I talked about that to my boyfriend at the time (husband now) and that same night we went and got a freezer from Best Buy and we decided that we will start making the drive to the twin cities and sell ingredients at a more affordable price. That’s how “Fatim African Supply” started !
The following year, my boyfriend and I graduated and moved to the twin cities. It was a new challenge ! Here, people had access to affordable ingredients. What they were lacking was time. My motto is “if there is a problem, then there is a solution; if there is no solution, then there is no problem”. So I decided to be the solution by offering my all-ready seasonings, beverages and my catering services. This is how we became Foodian’s Place !
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Although we are very greatful for Foodian’s Place, the road has been bumpy. As a small business, we sometimes find ourselves not having enough funds to grow the business as we would like.
Another problem we sometimes face is the price of the ingredients when there is inflation. Having to raise catering prices for example is not fun; especially knowing that some customers do not really understand the hidden cost of an invoice. When we charge $500 for example, the totality do not come in our pockets. We need to account for the price of the ingredients, the gas for the grocery shopping, the labor, the electricity etc…
And lastly, I would say that we sometimes have to snap some customers out of the “African time” culture. We are very punctual and it can sometimes be a challenge to deal with customers that can be hours late for the pick up of their orders for example with no valid reasons.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Aside from Foodian’s Place, I am a financial analyst in a manufacturing company.
I have also had the grace to write 2 ebooks. The latest one is “Cherie, on mange quoi ce soir ?” which translate to “Honey, What are we eating tonight ?”. The free ebook on my website is written in French and gives tips on how to reduce the culinary load that women go through.
I am also a certified coach in relationships and marriage. I am very well known in my community as the “fixer”. I believe that God gave me gifts and talents to restore broken hearts, transform the wrong vision of marriage that many have and bring more people closer to Him (God).
Those gifts and talents associated with my faith, empathy and love for others are what set me apart.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory would be all the time I spent with my family. During the weekends, all cousins would reunite and spend time together. We did not need much, just each other, and I find this truly beautiful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.foodiansplace.com
- Instagram: Foodians_Place
- Facebook: Foodian’s Place
