Living a fruitful life
“I DON’T want to smile too much. I don’t have enough teeth in my mouth,” jests Gustiar Ariffin before agreeing to flash what is left of his pearly whites for the camera.
Although he is bashful to pose for photographs, his shyness disappears when customers approach.
Gustiar bounces back to his confident self, greeting them like old friends. For over 30 years, he has been doing what he does best – selling fruits – and boy is he happy to do just that.
His parked lorry is brimming with a variety of local fruits such as duku langsat, rambutan and mango, and his flow of customers is never ending. It was during a rare break that Gustiar agreed to do this interview.
“I sell what is in season, and I am happy that my customers like the fruits I have to offer,” says Gustiar, 58. However, some customers like to take advantage of his niceness by asking for exorbitant discounts, he laments.
“What to do ... I have to keep my customers happy so that they will come back more often,” he says, adding that this business is his only source of income.
Gustiar runs the business with his brother, who seems to be the quieter of the duo.
“Don’t we look alike?” Gustiar asks, and beckons his brother to join him for a photograph. “We’re going to be on Youtube,” Gustiar wrongly informs his brother, who moves further away from the action.
Gustiar shares a close bond with him and says that he cannot think of anyone else better to partner with for this endeavour.
“It is best to do business with your sibling as there is no drama or trouble involved,” he advises. “It is also much safer financial wise.”
Gustiar sources his fruits from all over Malaysia, keeping up with all the seasons. His busiest period? When the durians are in abundance, of course.
“The duku langsats are from Trengganu, the rambutans from Kelantan. I try not to sell imported fruits because there are many good local growers to support,” he explains.
Although he lives in Gombak, Gustiar travels over 30km to sell fruits in a housing area in Puchong, Selangor. “I have run my business at this particular spot for over 10 years and have many customers from around here. I don’t think it is time for me to move to a new spot,” he feels.
Gustiar has six children, none of whom has shown any interest in taking over his business. However, he has no worries as he believes that they are free to choose their own calling in life.
“My youngest ones are triplets and are in Form Three. I don’t put any pressure on them to take over this business. I just want them to be happy and successful in whatever they choose to do,” he says. What about the business? “That is not for me to worry today,” he says wisely.
Come rain or shine, Gustiar is there every day, selling fruits from 1pm to 6pm.
“I am not one of those sellers who disappear for a long time when they have made enough money. I am busy according to the fruit seasons in Malaysia, and there is always something to sell every day,” he says.
The Paper’s People is an occasional column about Malaysia-based everyday folk who do what they love. If you have someone to recommend, e-mail us at lifestyle@thestar.com.my.