The Sunday Mail
Lincoln Towindo recently in Bulawayo
IT was during the second week of the first Covid-19 national lockdown in March, 2020, and Richard Zengeni of Mutare was down to his last US$23.
Government had just announced an additional two-week extension of the lockdown.
In one fell swoop, this extension of restrictions condemned Zengeni and his young family were facing an uncertain future. He knew the little savings he had would not last him another fortnight.
“I was staring directly at financial ruin,” he told The Sunday Mail last week.
“There was no way that little money was going to carry me through another lockdown.
“Remember, prices of basic goods were skyrocketing during that time.”
He was trapped in-between the figurative rock and a hard place.
Zengeni knew he had to act, and fast.
A moment of inspired brilliance was to prove his saving grace.
Out of the blue, he had an idea that would certainly placate him from his apparent financial dilemma.
“All I had was US$23,50 and bananas in my backyard,” said the 26-year-old financial accounting graduate.
“I bought a sealer – a machine used for plastic packaging – for US$20.
“With the US$3,50, I bought plastic packaging material.
“I then started harvesting bananas from my uncle’s backyard.”
The 26-year-old had decided to manufacture banana chips through processing and packaging the ubiquitous banana fruit in his backyard.
Banana chips are deep-fried or dried, generally crispy slices of bananas, similar to the regular potato chips.
“I started in March, 2020, during the second week of lockdown when it was announced that lockdown was being extended by a further two weeks,” said Zengeni.
“We didn’t have any means of survival, so we had to make do with what was available.
“I wanted to provide for my family and manufacturing banana chips was the only way I was going to be able to do that.”
Explaining the manufacturing process he said: “I harvest the bananas and then we peel them.
“We then blanch them before baking them.
“The baking process involves the process of removing all the moisture and then we spray oil to add flavour.”
The former Mutare Boys High student’s business enterprise — Zeengaz — slowly began to expand.
He soon entered into partnership with his four sibling brothers.
Today, he employs 25 youths at his budding enterprise, which operates from the Nyakamhete industrial area in Mutare.
He sells a box of 20 (25 gram) packets for US$5 and business is slowly picking up.
“I am making small profits and this has helped change my life.
“I am getting enough to make ends meet.
“We employ 25 people, so most of the money is currently going towards paying salaries.
“Currently, demand is not where it is supposed to be because the product is not known that much.
“But we are hoping that as we continue to push we will soon become a household name.”
Cashing in on baobab
In Chimanimani, Clemence Madhambure (39) had also found himself in financial predicament similar to Zengeni’s.
He was struggling to make ends meet.
In his home area, finding formal employment opportunities was akin to running into an overflowing oasis in the middle of the Kalahari Desert.
For years, the major economic activity in his area was harvesting baobab fruits for resell in Mutare and Harare. Since his youthful days, harvesting the abundant baobab fruit had become his main source of livelihood.
However, as more people joined in the bandwagon, the fruit was depleting at an alarming rate.
Resultantly, the financial returns plummeted.
It was then that Madhambure realised that there was no future in his line of work.
Having done a little research, he discovered that there was more to the baobab fruit than just selling it as is.
“I realised that I could actually make more money from value adding,” he said.
In 2018, Madhambure and four others in his community approached the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which was undertaking a food aid programme in his area, seeking assistance to procure a baobab powder processing machine.
FAO duly obliged and helped them purchase the machine.
“We now do baobab processing,” he said.
“We extract powder from the baobab fruit and from the seed we take out oil.
“Baobab is a super food which is very popular among health conscious people.
“The powder is used for making juices, smoothies and porridge. The oil is used for skin care.
“We have plenty of baobab in our area.”
Madhambure’s enterprise — Baomix — which operates from the Gudyanga business centre in Chimanimani now helps provide a source of livelihood to an army of over 1000 community harvesters.
“Though business is still very low we have markets in Harare and Bulawayo and some individuals dotted around the country,” he said.
“Since starting this small business, I am now able to support my family of six.
“I am making more than US$150 every month, but before that I could barely make ends meet.”
Expanding horizons
Zeengaz and Biomix were among the eight small business enterprises to exhibit their products at the just-ended Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo courtesy of the national trade development and promotion organisation — ZimTrade.
ZimTrade selected these SMEs on account of their product excellence and potential for penetrating the export market.
The SMEs were drawn from the food processing, cosmetics, custom-made furniture, leather and leather products sectors.
Also exhibiting under the ZimTrade banner were Balzer Trading, a manufacturer of custom indoor and outdoor furniture, Bee Honey Company a Bulawayo based supplier of honey, propolis and pollen.
Essential Delights, manufacturers of baobab fruit-based beverages, Moreda, manufacturers of leather bags, wallets, sandals and belts, Nature’s Cabin, who manufacture premium quality natural personal care products and Pelmet Trading, who make teak furniture for domestic and industrial use, also exhibited at the ZimTrade pavilion.
They comprised youth and women-led enterprises. As a result, the ZimTrade pavilion at ZITF attracted swarms of visitors eager for a taste of banana chips or a mawuyu juice. Others craved a feel of the custom-made home furniture produced from waterproof teak.
In an interview after touring the ZimTrade pavilion, Foreign Affairs an International Trade Minister Ambassador Frederick Shava said facilitating the integration of SMEs into the export market was a priority.
“The SMEs under the wings of ZimTrade are very encouraging,” said Amb Shava.
“We have young men and women who are involved in a lot of economic activity throughout the country.
“They are making products that are not only for sale on the local market but are export-ready.
“They have one exhibitor here who told me that they have an order of 100 tonnes of honey for export.
“SMEs have a part to play in driving exports; they are not only creating employment for our young men and women but creating value.”
ZimTrade chief executive Mr Allan Majuru said the SMEs were being equipped with skills to prepare them for penetrating the export market.
The initiative, said Mr Majuru, was capacity building tool targeting budding enterprises endowed with the potential to export their products.
“What we normally do for every trade fair is that we bring in SMEs as a form of capacity building, but also as a vehicle for exposure,” said Mr Majuru.
“This is so that when we go with them to other fairs outside the country, they know what to do.
“If you look at the representation we have here, we have SMEs from all over the country.
“We are trying to make sure that all the provinces are well represented.
“For us this is not only export development but export promotion at the same time.”
He said when the SMEs are eventually weaned off, they are capable of participating at global trade shows.
“We also equip them with negotiating skills as well as presentation skills, because branding matters,” he added.
“You might have a good product but if the branding is off, no one will buy.”
For Zengeni, the opportunity to participate at the ZITF was potentially life-changing and an omen of the good things to come.
He said: “I am hopeful that having participated at the ZITF I have created so many linkages with businesspeople from all over.
“Participating here means there is now scope to expand and hopefully start reaping the rewards of all the hard work I have put in over the last two years.
“From now going forward, my family will not lack anymore.”
