“Donut , donut! Prestige Donuts! Jelly donuts!” are words you hear often along roads in some St Andrew communities by Conrod, the donut man, who walks for miles each day selling the treat to provide for his family.

Conrod Grant, 37, is known for his popular ‘call’ for customers in communities where he, for the last decade, has been selling the pastry product. He said he sells his donuts six days per week, whether there’s rain or sunshine.

Grant, who was originally a chef, said he found it difficult to be a breadwinner on a job earning a minimum wage. “Working for others has never been my cup of tea, so I found a way to be self-reliant and this prevents me from begging,” he said.

Grant told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview that he spends about 10 hours every day selling on the road. His typical day starts with a trip to Prestige Bakery, on Orange Street in Kingston, where he buys up to 40 boxes of donuts, and carries them on his shoulder in a box.

He said his business started out with him purchasing other treats from another company, but admitted that he couldn’t keep up because it was expensive.

“I used to sell bag juice downtown and then I started buying Mega Mart’s twisted donuts and muffin, but that became expensive so I decided to try Prestige,” he said.

Grant said he choose an area to start working each day, then walks from community to community until his last box is sold.

“I can’t complain, because I sell most of my donuts most days. I put in the work, and sometimes, depending on the demand, I even have to go back to the bakery to buy more,” he said.

Grant said some days are slow but revealed that his two children, who are still in primary school, motivate him to go the proverbial extra mile.

“My family is depending on me, and I don’t want to see my son grow up without having a good education because I fall back in that area. So I will do whatever it takes to provide,” he said.

Grant, who is originally from St Ann, said he moved to August Town in St Andrew, where he met whom he describes as “the love of his life” a couple years ago – a young woman whose name he did not disclose.

Now a “family man”, Grant lives in the community of Maamee River, St Andrew.

He said he mostly sells his donuts in communities close to the Liguanea area and others such as Mona, Sandy Park, Gordon Town, Elletson Flats and several others.

“I traverse on foot and make some noise, and I love to make people laugh when I sell,” he said.

A resident of Payton Place, 53-year-old Kevin Buckley, said Grant’s work ethics and sense of humour bring joy to every community he sells in. He said he has observed that even students who live in these communities appreciate Grant because they can afford the donuts on their budgets.

Marquis McLean, 25, who also resides in Payton Place, said he’s been Grant’s customer for years. He said he started buying donuts since 2015 when he began university.

“It’s kinda weird because sometimes when you need a little snack, you just hear the voice…sometimes you run out because you think he’s on your lane, but you realise he’s not and you have to wait,” he said.

But McLean said he doesn’t mind waiting to get his donuts because he knows Grant will still come.

“Anytime you hear ‘donut, donut! Prestige Donuts!’ you know exactly who it is”, he said.

Other residents also spoke highly of Grant.

Clayton Boxx, 41, said he loves Grant’s determination.

“Even if I don’t want a donut, his drive alone forces me to buy a box. He is so resilient that even at night you will hear this man shouting ‘donuts, donuts!’ from miles always,” he said.

Boxx said he admires Grant because he has seen him working even in crime-prone areas and harsh weather conditions.

“Him nuh have no fear, him just go about him business and sell him donuts,” Boxx said.

Forty-year old Nadine Noble, who also lives in Payton Place, said Grant is everywhere.

“You see him a various places or you just hear him mouth,” she said.

Noble said her nieces and nephews run to her for money each time Grant visits the community.

“Him bring the vibes, him just push you fi buy and him donuts always fresh,” Noble’s 13-year-old niece said.

Buckley said Grant is doing what needs to be done in order to survive in Jamaica.

“A lot of people have children and there is no work for them because not everyone is fortunate to get an education. But the donut man doing what he has to do…what he knows is the hustling,” he said.

Buckley said he is also aware that Grant’s job can be dangerous.

“There are times when we hear seh donut man get robbed, but we just keep support him ’cause we know he keeps trying,” stated Buckley.

Grant said he intends to continue making a living this way, and added that even though selling donuts was not his dream job, he is making use of the opportunity he has now.

“When I was young I didn’t just get up and think ‘hey, one day I’m gonna sell donuts for a living’, but this is where I am today,” Grant said.