Bacary Diatta is a Senegalese immigrant who recently arrived in the United States. Born in Thionck Essyl, a village in the southern region of Senegal, Bacary grew up farming rice, wheat, corn, and peanuts. Farming is central to Jola's social life in the region and formed the foundation of his training and education.
Bacary has worked for more than ten years in the harvest, treatment, and sale of produce, including baobab fruit, in the capital of the Casamance region, Ziguinchor. The l'institut de recherches agricoles du Sénégal (ISRA), or Institute of Agricultural Research of Senegal, reinforced his abilities through workshops and training. In 2007, Bacary participated in a program for young people by the NGO Enda Tiers Monde, which focused on producing and selling baobab fruit preserves to benefit Thionck Essyl.
Bacary continues working closely with Senegalese government offices designed to support young entrepreneurs. As a result, he has learned the fundamentals of project management. Additionally, Bacary worked with USAID and NGO Measure Evaluation to gain experience in project evaluation through online training. The culmination of experiences leads Bacary to understand, measure, and anticipate potential project risks.
Moving forward, Bacary recognizes the importance of using new technologies and digital media in bringing his products from a village in rural Senegal to the mainstream marketplace. With Google Digital Workshops, he learned the fundamentals of digital marketing and the strategies for implementing successful campaigns throughout the project development.
Bacary understands baobab fruit from his experience in the field in his home country of Senegal. He plans to combine this knowledge with his training and partnerships with government and non-governmental organizations. Bacary is ready and capable of leading a project of this caliber and introducing consumers to a higher-quality product.
Moreover, Bacary wants consumers to share his experiences and create their own memories. Food is a powerful tool for developing understanding and for building cross-cultural bridges. Bacary wants to bring baobab fruit preserves to American consumers because, with each purchase, he will get a piece of Thionck Essyl to each home.
