My name is Esther Kandosi and I’m the owner of La Bonne Semence Food Market along with my husband Claude Ayaya. La Bonne Semence means the good seed. We are originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where we had a store and a restaurant. This business mindset stayed with us as we moved to America in 2017, in Manchester, New Hampshire.

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Upon our arrival to our home, personal circumstances made it difficult for me to digest the food here. It was hard to find African vegetables, which is what I’ve been accustomed to my whole life, in New Hampshire. Because of this, my husband Claude would travel to New York and even Canada to buy African Vegetable in bulk for my diet.

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During the start of COVID-19 pandemic, I realized that having an actual African store in Manchester, NH would be beneficial to many African families. The store would provide food that they are used to without them having to travel to Canada, New York, or Boston.

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In April 2020, we began our search for a location to start an African market. In September 2020, we found a store on Wilson Street. We then went through the long process of obtaining our business license to operate the store, which we achieved in February 2021. From then on, little by little, we started to put the store together and began operating.

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Our goal is for the store to become the go-to place for all African products in New Hampshire. Eventually, we have the goal to expand and establish many similar African markets all throughout the US, helping bring part of our cuisine and culture to America.