My name is Nitharshini Mathyalagan. I am from Sri Lanka and I am a micro-entrepreneur, caterer chef and founder of Nitha Traiteur.
I was born in 1982 and we were refugees in many places and countries because of Sri Lanka’s political war problems. During this period I finished my advanced level in 2003.
Again the war started in 2006, so we moved to Malaysia as a refugee. UNHCR gave me refugee status, but the Malaysian government didn’t give me any legal authority. So, cooking is the profession I started for livelihood with the help of NGO Tech Outreach Dr Malar and Jayamany Aunty’s family. Then I completed my pastry diploma with the money I got from it. I came to France in 2015 with the help of UNHCR, IOM and the French government. Again I am at a starting point. But in this time France terre d’asile Mathilde introduced Youssef. He helped to start my catering business in France. At the same time, France terre d’asile accountant Antoine helped me with administration work. Then Axelle, Arulien, Bruna and Flo helped with other personal activities.
What is your business?
My business is a catering business. It’s called Nitha Traiteur. Currently, I aim to provide quality and healthy food by adapting Sri Lankan and Malaysian cuisine to be eaten by the French and other people. I am doing my catering business for many organisations in France like UNHCR, Adie Association, Place Network, Mairie and personnel and professionals.
What were the biggest challenges you faced when starting your business, and how did you overcome them? (eg lack of resources, funding, language barriers, network)
When I came to France and started my business, I did not face any difficulties because I did my work through meet my mama. Later, when I started my own company, finance and language were barriers for me.
At this time I received financial assistance from the Adie Association and started my business. Then I was supported by my husband Mathyalagan, friend Sarah, Place Network, UNHCR etc.
How did you go about building a network or community in a new country, and how has that network helped you in your entrepreneurial journey?
It is a very difficult one. Wherever I go and whoever I meet, I tell them about myself and my business. I will offer my food for you to eat and see. Through this, I got some events. They introduced it to many people as they made it tasteful, quality and very professional. Thus there were many opportunities from one to another.
What role did resilience and adaptability play in your success? Can you share a specific example of how these traits helped you overcome a major obstacle?
I lived most of my life as a refugee. After many struggles, everything was easy when he reached France. Suddenly my mother fell ill and needed to be taken care of. Due to this I completely stopped my business. I did not get positive results from the people I trusted when I thought about starting my business again by taking a place near my home.
Some people say that this place can only offer free food. Thus they hurt me in many ways. It was the zeal to achieve in their presence that made me stand out and excel.
What financial advice would you give to someone who is just starting? How did you manage to fund your business initially?
For those starting a business like me, and if you are in France, contact the Adie Association and they will help you improve your business by providing loan financial assistance and all free advice related to your administration. I am an example of that.
How do you balance the challenges of running a business with personal and family responsibilities?
To be honest, I haven’t found the solution yet. The reason is that my mother has repeated strokes and now my mother is bedridden. Even if someone else arranges to see her, I have to do some things for her. My mother’s health is not always stable. So I am doing my business according to my mother. My career is as important as my mother is to me. Taking care of my mother and taking care of my career is no problem. Due to this, my free time is less.
What advice would you give to other refugee women who are considering starting their businesses?
When starting a business in the beginning, there are many obstacles and problems. But you should not be discouraged and work diligently to achieve your goals.
What is the most rewarding aspect of being an entrepreneur, especially considering your unique background?
Since I am an entrepreneur, I am forced to do all the activities for my company, for instance, I do my administration work myself so I have to do a lot of research, this way I learn many things. It has also allowed me to learn and teach others. And have some meetings which will lead to many good relationships. Not only that, but it has allowed me to mature and act accordingly. It has given me the ability to lead others as well.
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently in your entrepreneurial journey?
I didn’t do anything different. But when I look back on the path I have gone through, the pains and sufferings I have experienced have taught me many lessons.
What are your future goals for your business, and how do you plan to achieve them?
My objective is to improve my business and multiply my clients. By working diligently and advertising for it. The confidence of my company increases when I give customers the same quality and taste of food as usual. This will increase the number of customers.
How important is it for you to give back to your community, and in what ways do you incorporate that into your business?
My work is not social work. But during the COVID period, I cooked 50 meals a day for homeless people with the help of my mama and reffeterio. Sometimes I give free cooking classes. Currently, there is no provision of free food daily. As much as I can, I sometimes give free food to the homeless people. When some social workers order food from me, I reduce the price and give some food for free. And thus they keep coming back for my Nitha Traiteur.
What final piece of advice would you like to share with other aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly those who might be facing similar challenges?
What I want to say again and again is never lose confidence and perseverance. Even if we incur losses while taking a job, we have to do it well without taking responsibility and earn the trust of the client. Although my profession is not a social service, but a commercial one, my emphasis is on the health of the clients. I intend that you who want to start a business like me should consider the welfare of others rather than money. If our purpose is right, customers will come to us.
Note: Another important thing is not only the faith we put in ourselves but also the faith from other people around us. I would also like to tell you a bit about my father as an example. He is my role model. When I was young, I loved making pastry items and my father used to buy all the ingredients for me, however, I never did it right. He never said that it was bad, on the contrary, he would say that I did well and that he’d buy me ingredients the next time to make something different. He supported me until I did it right and gave me motivation. The moral of the story is, don’t berate and point out mistakes, instead be supportive and give them the opportunity to correct. With that, they will surely win. Now, my father isn’t with me but my husband is supporting me instead. As well as; my daughter, Hereshini, Axelle Family, Adie association Thierno Diallo, Place network Michel, UNHCR, and a friend called Sarah, are all supporting my development.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Vanessa, We Are The City and the Visa team for giving me the Incredible Refugees Women Award for the year 2024.
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