Kenya - Startup under 3 years old

Describe your project or startup in a few words

Affordable, high quality, tasty and nutritious dried fruits, vegetable, chilli and spices processed with natural ingredients and packed with care.

01.01 Describe your startup in more detail

Imale Sunshine Limited processes, distributes and markets naturally dried premium products. We produce the finest dried mango crisps, dried green vegetables, dried mushroom,dried chilli, dried herbs and spices. Our products are made naturally with no additives. Some of the unique and desirable features of our dried products include retention of natural colour, nutrients, flavour and texture. What makes our products different than what’s currently on the market is that our products are superior and naturally dried. We believe we can maintain a competitive edge because we have a close working relationship with farmers. We also use state-of-the-art drier to control quality and safety of the drying process. Imale sunshine was established because of increasing demand for dried fruits as snacks or cooking ingredient. Our ultimate goal is to enrich the livelihoods of people and communities we engage with by becoming most trusted supplier of quality dried fruits, vegetables and spices.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

About one third of the food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted between processing, storage, transportation, distribution and consumption. Lack of infrastructure, inadequate storage facilities, inappropriate transportation are the main causes of post harvest losses. Many countries also lack access to energy, which results in increased food losses, limited capacity to process food and restrictions for farmers looking to boost their income. Malnutrition affects one in three people globally through chronic hunger, micro nutrient deficiency, child stunting, overweight and adult obesity.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your startup provides (at least 3).

Imale Sunshine seeks to improve smallholders' farmers' access to profitable markets through solar drying of fruits, vegetables and spices. We work with farmer groups in Mbooni, Makueni County. We have set up a solar drying facility to dry produce, pack and market produce. Through solar drying, farmers are able to triple their earnings and increase the shelf life of the produce. We use state-of-the art drier to control quality and safety of the drying process. In our facility, we produce the finest dried fruits and vegetables. Our direct farmer relationships and farmer training programs on agriculture and best practices ensure that the fruits are processed at the right stage of product ripening - which enhances nitrients and flavours of the dehydrated fruit.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your startup’s product/service is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

Dried fruits and vegetables are consumed at home as a snack or cooking ingredient, at hotels and restaurants, in food industry, such as bakery products, cereal and snack bars, fruits snacks, dairy products, chocolate and confectionery, beverages, frozen desserts and ice cream, others (jams, ready meals, and infant nutrition). The snack segment is served retailing at supermarkets, speciality shops, grocery stores, opo up markets, food service and online retail. The food processing segment account for roughly 60% of the dried fruit market. We are also targeting the export market especially to Europe.

01.05 When was your company established?

2021-08-06

01.06 Are you already selling your product/service?

Yes

01.07 How many other owners are there within your startup?

0

01.08 Among the other owners, how many are female?

0

01.09 Please describe the profile of the other owners within your startup (skills, experience, etc.)

I am the founder and Chief Operations Officer of Imale Sunshine, a company that seeks to address post-harvest losses and improve smallholders’ farmers’ access to profitable markets through solar drying of fruits and vegetables. We work with farmer groups in Mbooni, Makueni County. I have a degree in Sociology from Egerton University. I have an administrative assistant at a real estate development firm. As an administrative assistant and have also worked as a receptionist at Amber Medical Clinic, a boutique clinic that specializes on tropical diseases and mother wellness. Prior to founding Imale Sunshine I worked as a Field Officer for Premier Foods Ltd. I was the liaison between the company and their contracted farmers. I’m also a trainer in crop husbandry, financial literacy and groups management. These experiences, taken as a whole, provide me with a wealth of practical knowledge to develop a high quality service organization.

01.10 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link(s) here:

https://www.facebook.com/Imalesunshine

01.11 Which industry best describes your project?

b) Materials (agriculture, fishing, chemical products, construction materials, containers and packaging, metals and mining, paper and forest products)

02.01.01 My startup contributes to the No poverty goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification for my startup

By adding value of farm products through solar dehydration, farmers are able to increase their incomes. This is by lowering food losses and also because dried products fetch higher prices.

02.02.01 My startup contributes to the Zero hunger goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification for my startup

By solar drying farmers are able to preserve produce for future use. Farmers usually experience seasons of overproduction and glut, alternating with seasons of underproduction and drought. During the seasons of glut, farmers can dehydrate excess produce and store them for future consumption or sale them in periods of drought.

02.03.01 My startup contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

6

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification for my startup

Our products are naturally produced, without chemicals. Our products are also healthy and nutrious. Healthiness is major factor that also comes into play – drying usually preserves most of the nutrition and other properties of fruits. Therefore, they are popular among health-conscious consumers.

02.04.01 My startup contributes to the Quality education goal

6

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification for my startup

We train farmers on good agricultural practises, pest and disease management, record keeping, farming as a business, gender dynamics, climate change, and group formation and management. Through income realized from selling of dried products, farmers are able to pay school fees for their children.

02.05.01 My startup contributes to the Gender equality goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification for my startup

Women play a vital role in every sphere of agricultural activity. But women carry a heavy work burden, having to juggle between their productive activities and domestic chores. They tend also to have poorer access to land, services and resources than men which makes it harder for them to realize incomes. FAO has calculated that achieving equality for women in Agrifood systems would add as much as $ one trillion to global GDP and take 45 million people out of food insecurity. We at Imale Sunshine promote gender-sensitive activities that support women's leadership, and advocate for women's participation of rural resources and decision making process. Our trainings have a component of gender dynamics so that we shed light to community members the existing gender roles and compare them with the ideal ones.

02.06.01 My startup contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

3

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification for my startup

N/A

02.07.01 My startup contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification for my startup

Our solar drier uses the ever available solar energy and briquettes made from coffee husks and mango seeds to dehydrate farm products. Sun is a very cheap source of energy and thus our production costs are low. When the weather is not permisable, we make use of brequettes.

02.08.01 My startup contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

6

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification for my startup

We have a staff of five who we actively engage at the agro-processing facility to help in such activities as sorting, cleaning and slicing of fruits and vegetables. Our pay is better compared to similar roles in our community. We also engage young men in harvesting and collection of produce from the farm for use at the facilicity. We also create opportunities for transporters for farm produces. Indirectly, we create opportunities for agro-input dealers and service providers for such services as spraying, tilling among others.

02.09.01 My startup contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

7 - Strongly Agree

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification for my startup

We are making use of solar and biomass dehydrators to produce value added farm products. Our facility makes use of solar energy and briquettes to process fresh farm produce into dried products which fetch a higher price.

02.10.01 My startup contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

5

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification for my startup

We actively empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. We are keen to work with any farmer irregardless of sex, age, religion or any other status as long as his/her is willing to work with us and meets our criteria.

02.11.01 My startup contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification for my startup

By being able to process and preserve farm produce from our community by use of a solar drier, we are encouraging sustainability through the use of clean energy. We also encourage our farmers to plant trees especially fruit trees and practice apiculture which complements horticulure.

02.12.01 My startup contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification for my startup

Responsible consumption and production is about ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns, which is key to sustain the livelihoods of current and future generations. Food waste is a sign of over consumption, and tackling food loss is urgent and requires dedicated policies, informed by data, as well as investments in technologies, infrastructure, education and monitoring. A staggering 931 million tons of food is wasted a year, despite a huge number of the global population going hungry. We at Imale Sunshine address the issue of post-harvest losses and food wastage by training farmers on post-harvest handling and processing excess produce for future use/ trading. We also make use of clean energy such as solar, electricity and biochar reducing reliance on fossil fuel.

02.13.01 My startup contributes to the Climate action goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification for my startup

We are urged to take action to combat climate change and its impacts. Climate change is now affecting every country on every continent. It is disrupting national economies and affecting lives, costing people, communities and countries dearly today and even more tomorrow. At Imale Sunshine we educate farmers on climate change and ways to compat it. We encorage them to plant trees oftenly, re-use and recycle plastics and metals, and use eco-friendly products. We at Imale Sunshine have also organised and participated in various tree planting activities within our communities, the most recent one being at Musau Imale Primary School.

02.14.01 My startup contributes to the Life below water goal

3

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification for my startup

N/A

02.15.01 My startup contributes to the Life on land goal

4

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification for my startup

A flourishing life on land is the foundation for our life on this planet.We are all part of the planet’s ecosystem and we have caused severe damage to it through deforestation, loss of natural habitats and land degradation. We have been actively involved in several afforestation campaigns in our community. We also usually encourage our farmers to practice agroforestry and preferably use organic ways of managing crop pests and diseases as opposed to chemical use so as to protect and maintain soil quality.

02.16.01 My startup contributes to the Peace Justice and Strong Institutions goal

5

02.16.02 Peace Justice and Strong Institutions- Justification for my startup

As a business we are against child labour, violence and corruption. We promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

02.17.01 My startup contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

5

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification for my startup

We work hand in hand with the county government as well as several development partners such as GIZ to realize our goals. We are also in the process of getting certifications to enable us get into export market.

06.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

3

06.02 The product/service represents an entirely new type of product/service.

5

06.03 The product/service could be described as a new technology.

6

06.04 The product/service is an improvement on an existing product or service.

6

06.05 The product/service could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

4

06.06 The product/service responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

6

06.07 The product/service is a new version of an old product/service.

6

06.08 Justification for my startup

Dehydration of farm produce as a method of food preservation is not an entirely new concept. People have been known to dry farm produce under tree shades or open grounds for sun to dry them. Recently, dehydration has been done by food companies which use electricity to run their drying machines. What is innovative about our facility is that our drier uses solar as well biochar for processing hence reducing overdepence on electricity and fossil fuel. This also means that the facility can also be insalted in remote areas that don't have electricity connection.

06.09 Competitive Analysis

Our direct competitors are Azuri Health Ltd and Avaazi Dried Fruits, located in Thika and Nairobi respectively. They sell dried fruits at a rate of Kshs. 1,000 per Kg. Azuri Health currently hold a 25% market share. Customers buy from this business because of well-established brand and distribution for local & export market, modern processing facility and certifications. We are confident our company can better serve our target market because our direct farmer relationships and farmer training programs on agriculture and best practices guarantee the quality of our raw product. Our sophisticated processing operations ensure that the fruits are processed at the right stage of product ripening – which further enhances the flavours of the dried fruit. This ensures a high-quality product. Processing is decentralized; this reduces transport cost from the farm, the decrease of fruit quality (fruits are very susceptible to handling) and the opportunity of adding value in the rural ar

11.05 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

I encourage women to be proactive and take advantage of women-focused entrepreneurship programmes. I ussually share with them about any programmes I'm aware of. I also encourage them to establish an enterprise, however small it may be because it is by learning to crawl that one eventually learns to walk.