Rafuishaan D’sa is just 20 and still in college but the bugof entrepreneurship caught him young, compelled him to churn his dreams, sharethem with others and finally win a prize in a national level competition.Fondly called ‘Rafu’ by friends and family, this final year student of BBA(Bachelor of Business Administration) at S S Dempo College of Commerce andEconomics in Panjim has made it to the third place in the 7th National BusinessPlan Competition “ Change the Mind Set, organised by ‘I Create India’, anon-profit organisation that provides integrated grass root entrepreneurshiptraining and guidance to the youth in India.
Eager to spreading his message “ Live Healthy, Live Happy,Rafuishaan dreams to start ‘The Juice Place’ “ a fresh fruit and vegetablejuice café at Caranzalem near Miramar in Panjim. “The location is perfect, I amsure. This is a highly populated area and people are habitual to go for eveningwalks. What more do you need than a bunch of health conscious, exercise-freakand ‘on-diet’ people for a fresh fruit and vegetable juice café to run, whenthere is none?” he asks, visualising images with beaming eyes.
What would his café offer? “Everything fresh, directly fromthe shelves to the juicer “ mouth-watering fresh fruit juices, milkshakes,mixed fruit juices, mixed vegetable juices, badaam milk etc. Nothing canned. Noadditives or preservatives. All freshly handpicked from the nearby organicfarms in Taleigao,” Rafuishaan shares.
Rafuishaan shared his business plan with friend andclassmate Rakesh Talamraju who uplifted the idea and even offered his land as abase where the dream juice café would stand. “With Rakesh’s land the budget for‘The Juice Place’ comes to Rs 12 lakh including land development, furniturefixtures, electrical fittings, kitchen appliances, working capital andmanpower. I would need two persons to manage it,” says Rafuishaan who submittedhis business plan with financials. “The price tags would depend on the price ofthe fruits. I would charge Rs 40 for regular juices and Rs 50 for premiumdrawing a price line between cheap and expensive fruits.
Son of an interior decorator father and homemaker mother,Rafuishaan belongs to Betalbhatim, a small village in Salcete. Educationbrought him to Panjim where the family now resides. He completed his school andhigher secondary education from Don Bosco. “Marketing is my favourite subjectand I want to do my MBA in marketing,” he says.
Rafuishaan is vocal about his future plans. Currentlyconcentrating on his final year exams Rafuishaan plans to go to Mumbai, getassociated with some brand, take up a job and gain some marketing experience.
