THE sharp crack of the cutlass followed by the irritating sound of scraping tells a story of hard work and independence. At the crack of dawn, this young entrepreneur is preparing cane to be ground in order to harvest its syrupy juice. This wonderful and delicious liquid is then refrigerated until it is chilled to perfection.

Even though his operation is a small one, he employs two close relatives to keep the business going. The most difficult challenge he faces is the cleaning and preparing of the cane.

This enterprising youth collects the much-needed cane from abandoned fields waiting to become new housing areas. This reduces his overhead costs and helps his small business to thrive. He is out selling every day at the junction of Yarrow Dam and Ruimveldt Road. Sunday is his best day. Most people are at home relaxing, and they would purchase juice readily. His best customers are taxi drivers and minibus operators.

Darrel thinks that fresh cane juice is very good for diabetes. He also encourages any hardworking youth looking to work on their own to get involved in cane juice selling if they want to make a successful start to business.

Darrel attended the North Georgetown Secondary School and resided in the Eve Leary Police Compound. His father was a trainer of the GPF horses. He became an excellent rider at a young age, and is still proficient at this skill. He is a fine athlete, who has also played hockey for the Guyana Police Force.

 
by Neil Primus