Ghanaian actress and entrepreneur Beverly Afaglo has shared her journey of overcoming adversity while establishing her Shawarma business, Traffic Shawarma.
During an interview with Irene Adubea Aning on The Career Trail Program on the 28th of March 2025, Beverly recounted how her decision to start the business coincided with a personal tragedy the loss of her home to a devastating fire.
Her passion for Shawarma was ignited after experiencing the exceptional taste of Lagos Shawarma. On a trip to Lagos, she was captivated by the quality of Shawarma available there, which she felt far exceeded what was offered in Ghana.
“Every time I visited Lagos, the Shawarma I ate regardless of where I bought it, was consistently delicious. That’s the kind of Shawarma I wanted to introduce to Ghana because my experiences with Shawarma in Ghana had been disappointing,” she explained.
However, just as she was laying the groundwork for the business, disaster struck. A fire consumed her house, leaving her with nothing and forcing her to rebuild her life from scratch.
All I knew was that I wanted to start a Shawarma business. I didn’t even have the full capital yet, but I was determined to begin, buying ingredients little by little. Then suddenly, I lost my home, and everything I had gathered was gone. I had to start over,” she recalled.
Despite the setback, she pressed on. She had initially hired a chef from Lagos, but when he quit his job, she had to rent a four room apartment to accommodate him and launch the business, even though she was not fully prepared.
With limited resources, Beverly and her team started small, operating out of a six-foot container. They spent time experimenting with recipes and refining their product through taste tests with friends until they were satisfied with the quality.
“It started as a small idea a modest six-foot container. I secured the land permit, built the container, and that was how Traffic Shawarma came to life,” she shared.
However, her entrepreneurial journey was not without obstacles. She encountered difficulties with the chef she had brought from Nigeria, ultimately deciding to part ways with him after six months, even though the timing was challenging.
“I faced issues with the chef from Nigeria. He was supposed to stay for six months, and when the time came, I had to let him go because things weren’t working out between us. The timing wasn’t ideal, but it was necessary,” she admitted.
Source: Edyspromotions.com
