Fruit and vegetable chips are increasingly popular in Timor-Leste. However, it is common that these snacks are imported into Timor-Leste from places such as Indonesia. This means that snacks have become expensive products. Importing products from overseas also means that local fruit and vegetables are not used by local businesses.

Around Dino’s place of residence, he commonly noticed that the amount of food waste from bananas and other perishable fruits is plenty. Noticing that there was a demand, he developed a business plan to manufacture fruit and vegetable chips from local food waste. Dino primarily uses bananas and cassava which come from local markets and producers in Hudi-Laran, Dili. The producers will now be sold in bulk to Dino monthly, and Dino will produce the chips with the help of his family. Dino’s income is therefore shared among himself and members of his family.

‘Food waste from bananas and cassava is very common for Timorese sellers. As Timorese people cannot always afford imported chips, I sell my products cheaper. This helps local communities. I want to help both the supplier and the buyers,’ says Dino.

Dino developed his business and worked to secure a range of different supermarkets to sell his products to in Dili. The Knua Juventude Fila-Liman Centre has helped in this way, teaching Dino how he can market and develop his product. He created a label for his product and it now operates as a small-scale business. Dino has learnt how to create relations with supermarkets in Dili so that he can continually connect fruit sellers to the formal economy.

‘Knua has enabled youth entrepreneurs to materialize very specific targets. I now know what it takes to be self-employed and how to be a successful youth entrepreneur. Before I came to Knua I did not have the support or information I needed to start this business,' says Dino.

Dino hopes that through his experience other youth entrepreneurs will become self-employed. Dino is positive that through youth mobilization and support at Knua, less families and students will need to be reliant on the government for income and job opportunities. Dino hopes that through this business he will guarantee an income to his family. In Timor-Leste, developing the private sector is necessary to reduce unemployment among youths. This business reinforces the capacity of Timorese youth to facilitate innovative growth to increase personal and family livelihoods.