Osseo High School grad opens grocery store

Fresh organic produce, dried plantains, sesame candy, rice, spices, meat, frozen pizza and West African specialty foods: Afrocana Market can be found in Robbinsdale’s Robbin Center near the Eagles Nest Lounge.

Today she lives in Fridley, but Moliza Dennis grew up in Liberia, which is in West Africa. At 15, Dennis and her family moved to Minnesota where she graduated from Osseo High School and went to college. Dennis worked in the mental health field for a bit but in 2020 decided to open a store specializing in African and Caribbean groceries.

She started out of a warehouse in Eden Prairie and began delivering to people all over the metro.

This summer, Dennis opened a physical location in Robbinsdale.

“I think my favorite thing so far has been the people,” Dennis said of Robbinsdale. “They’re very nice down here. And every time they come, everyone wants to tell me about the community so I kind of get a feel of who’s living here and what to get in the store, which I think is really nice.”

Dennis said her whole family lives nearby and they have been a great team, especially her mom, sisters, son and nieces.

“It’s just me [running the store] but I have a big family and they’re all so helpful,” Dennis said. “I have a lot of nieces that help me with the online.”

One item Dennis is sure to always have on hand is her organic produce bins is cassava, which is also called yuca.

“We have lots of African products,” Dennis said. “We have fish, sardines and seasoning. We use just a lot of seasonings for things, so we have that.”

There are ingredients for pepper or efo riro soup. There is goat meat, chicken, ham, beef and seafood. Dennis carries plenty of “starchy products” like fufu, which is made with cassava or plantains.

Jamaican ginger beer and rice are some top sellers. There are West African peanut snacks, cookies and cereals made with ginger or corn.

Afrocana Market also carries frozen items like ice cream and pizza.

Dennis is still adding things to her inventory.

The grocery store is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday at 4112 Lakeland Avenue North, Robbinsdale. Visit the website at afrocanamarket.com.

For people over the age of 50, delivery is free.

“The model is to help our senior citizens,” Dennis said.

Shoppers outside the metro can place orders as well, though they need to pay for USPS shipping.