BK: How long have you been selling orange juice?
Pongsak: It’s been about 10 years now since I first started.

BK: How did you start doing this job?
Pongsak: Before orange juice, I used to sell coconuts. The supply wasn’t so easy to find so I decided to change to oranges, which are much easier to get hold of.

BK: How was it after you switched?
Pongsak: Wonderful! Back then the oranges were as cheap as B7-8 per kilo. Now it costs over B20 to get a kilo. But I can still survive. I make an average profit of B700-B800 a day. The ice costs B100 a day, and I have to pay tax.

BK: Do you squeeze the oranges yourself?
Pongsak: Yes, I have to squeeze 40 kilograms of oranges at home every morning. That makes 80 bottles of orange juice.

BK: Where do you get them from?
Pongsak: I have my regular supplier at the market. They pick only the good ones and then have a delivery boy bring them to me daily, late in the evening.

BK: Do you add anything to your juice?
Pongsak: I have to admit that if the oranges happen to be too sour, I need to add in a little bit of sugar to balance the taste. But that’s only during a short part of the year. Most of the time, I don’t add anything. Oranges are very sweet, especially around January, and with good quality oranges, the taste comes out great. A customer once said it’s so sweet he could add in a bit of lime.

BK: What’s the best thing about your job?
Pongsak: Freedom. I am my own boss and I can make my own decisions. I can just wake up one day, grant myself a holiday and stay home with my family.

BK: What’s the worst thing about your job?
Pongsak: The oranges ripen too quickly. The taste can change overnight, and I don’t like to have rotten oranges in my product.
BK: If you could do something else what would you do?
Pongsak: I don’t want to do other things. I’m already old and I only think that one day I will go back to my hometown, tend my farm and stay with my family. I might retire soon because I’m getting old and I won’t have as much energy to pull the trolley around.

BK: Do you see your family taking over from you?
Pongsak: I’ll have my 30-year-old son in law take over the business. He knows what to do because during the night, he already comes here and helps me. Narisa Pokunchanan