Clarksville, TN – Adolph Dagan opened Dagan African Market in July of 2019, a one-of-a-kind shop that offers African, Jamaican and international foods and other items that can’t be found anywhere else in the area. Dagan’s market was recently recognized as the Clarksville Chamber’s Veteran-owned Business of the Month.
“I moved from Togo to America in 2004,” Dagan said. “I started working in manufacturing, but God pushed me to join the military, which brought me from Illinois to Fort Campbell in 2007. In Togo, we grow our own food. We also have access to international foods, but I was raised in a village where we grew a lot of our food.”
“Wherever we go, we want to eat fufu (a sticky dough usually made from cassava or plantains). In my language, it’s ‘Agu’. We make if from yams. We would peel it, cut it into pieces, then use a mortar and pestle. Now, with technology, it’s easier. You can buy it in a powder, and use it in any kind of soup.
“Another Togolese favorite is djenkoume, which is like corn meal. These are things that we need to have everywhere we go, but when I went to basic training, I could not find them.” (Dagan lets out a big laugh. He is known by everyone to be always jovial.)
Dagan and his wife, Kafui, soon found the only nearby African Market was in Nashville. They thought, why not open an African Market in Clarksville?
“There are lots of soldiers and veterans from Africa here now,” Dagan said. “For them, we have African clothing, lotions, soaps, and other items from the Ivory Coast, as well as beauty products, black soap, and shea butter. We also have different hair products from Africa and Jamaica. And a large selection of bitters, which help reduce blood pressure and fight cancer. And things to help people lose weight.”
On the shelves, you’ll find rice, noodles and soups, different flours, Jamaican spicy buns, chips, cookies, and garri flour which is made out of cassava root. There is also goat meat, Beef in brine, salted fish, and ingredients to make Egusi soup.
“I eat African food every single day,” Dagan said. “I had yams for lunch today. I keep Shito in my office, it’s a blend of seasonings. It is wonderfully spicy. I love to use it on wild rice.”
Dagan talked about the challenges he faces. “There are so many, with this business,” Dagan said. “We have goat meat with or without skin, and beef, and mackerel. I have to bring in these items from Chicago. It’s still hard. It’s tricky, to get the deliveries and reach the minimum quantities.
“The customers, when they found us, started asking for lots of other items they could not find. We had to start carrying even more products to keep them coming. We’ve doubled our space since we started. It has been tough, but God is good.”
Dagan is grateful for the support his family business receives. “I am so thankful to everyone, even those who don’t know much about our culture,” Dagan said. “Americans are so nice. They are always trying to support us, and we love that. I am jovial and I love to interact with people. Life is full of struggles for everyone, but you have to enjoy life, no matter how much or little you have, you have to be grateful go God.
“I say, be happy, forget about stress. I love different people and different cultures. We all must accept everybody, we may not agree on everything, but we need to live together.
“After the military, Kafui and I prayed and thought about leaving, but she said, ‘Let’s stay here; this city will grow. It is good for us and our children’. Clarksville is my home. I see so many people I know, and I say, hello. People think I’m crazy, I’m not crazy, (he laughs heartily). I thank God for this city every day, and pray for it. Come see us, support us, and try something new. We want this business to succeed, and we would love to open an African restaurant one day.”
