Black entrepreneur finds success with African grocery in Saskatoon, but barriers still exist

It has been a year since Laura Oriaifo started her African grocery store and take out restaurant CrownAfriq, where she brings a taste of Africa to Saskatoon.

"I'm excited that I've been able to achieve this milestone. It's been a challenge and it's been fun. It's been stressful for a startup. But so far so good. I'm grateful," she said with a big smile on her face. 

Oriaifo always wanted to have a retail outlet and often thought about owning a Dollarama or another dollar store, but did not have the necessary capital.

"My friend and I thought why not set up an African grocery store, especially since there are not many in this region."

Ground nuts, African greens, drinks, beans, fou fou flour, traditional spices and African yams are found in abundance at the store, located on the corner of Eighth Street and Clarence Avenue.

The inventory is focused on Nigeria, Oriaifo's home country, but as many in Saskatchewan mark Black History month, she said she hopes to gradually bring in flavours from more African countries.

Oriaifo left Nigeria in 2010 and went to the U.K. to pursue her master's. Then on Sept. 20, 2014, she moved to Saskatoon.

"I'm just lucky to be an entrepreneur here," she said."People come in here and go ' wow, this is home away from home.'"

Cindy Harrison, CEO of ACT Learning Centre and Communicare companies, said Black entrepreneurs face barriers above and beyond many others.

"In general in Canada, we don't do a lot to encourage entrepreneurship, but the obstacles become magnified in very significant ways for people of colour," she said

"We have a system that's rife with barriers and systemic racism, unfortunately, that make it difficult for Black entrepreneurs to be successful."

She said the most critical way to close gaps in Black entrepreneurship in Canada is through prioritizing representation. She told CBC that it can be difficult for Black entrepreneurs to contemplate entrepreneurship because they "don't see successful entrepreneurs that look like them or have the similar lived experiences."

Harrison said there are even more barriers for a Black woman, as she herself has experienced firsthand.

"Women have to work twice as hard to be thought half as good as their male counterparts. I think that becomes magnified tenfold when you're female and you're Black."