Jagef Group – Ambitious Moshi Enterpreneurs

Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)

Peter Temba

25 May 2011

Historically, entrepreneurship has been a maledominated pursuit, but many of today’s most memorable and inspirational entrepreneurs are women.

Esther Moshi (49) strongly believes that women can do wonders in terms of engagement in production activities if afforded opportunities to do so and empowered. Ms Moshi says gone are the days when women were solely dependent on their spouses for their survival.

A married woman with five children, Ms Moshi who resides in Old Moshi, Kikarara in Kilimanjaro Region, is presently the Chairperson of JAGEF Group which is a processing industry based at Kikarara.

JAGEF Group is a registered association of 10 members, of whom seven are women and the other are men, including Esther’s husband, Mr August Nderingo. Other members are Grace Makomu, Dorice Mboya, Jacquilline Malema, Diana Mlinga, Constansia Wilhelm, Lucy Peter,Eliona William and Freddy Mshanga.

The core function of the Group is production of quality nutritional products such as flour. The Group also produces and sells standardized and dried Rosella. According to Ms Moshi,Rosella can be used to make a drink for quenching thirst and increasing blood in the human body.

It contains iron and vitamins which help prevent various diseases. She mentioned Chagga wine, Grape wine, banana wine, rhino wine, sorghum wine, dried mangos, dried bananas, nutritious flour, Rosella flowers, Rosella seeds, Rosella flour and vegetables as some of the products made by the group.

The Group was formed in 2007 by a group of individuals who underwent a series of seminars on nutrition which were sponsored by Moshi Municipal Council. According to Ms Moshi, the group was also trained on best practices in business ventures.

“Our trainers advised us to consult the Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO) office in Kilimanjaro for training on wine preservation. The training took two weeks after which we started making wine and juice from Rosella and bananas,” she said.

Thereafter, Ms Moshi says the group applied for a certificate from the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) for producing fruit wine (bananas and Rosella) which was granted on March 15 last year.

The same year the group received another certificate for making Rosella spirit. “Issuance of TBS certificates, motivated the Group and inspired us to engage ourselves in serious production,” she says. In 2008, JAGEL Group produced 20 litres of wine which was sold in neighbouring villages.

Gradually the wine has gained popularity in the area something that has pushed up demand.To cope with the increasing demand, the group had to include other fruits such as fig, pineapples and mangoes in wine making.

“During that year, we managed to produce 200 litres of wine hence triggering expansion of market through participation in various exhibitions and trade fairs in 2009 and 2010,” she said.

On the occasion of the 9th Northern Zone Exhibition for Small and Medium Enterprises held here from May 1 to 6 this year, the group scooped the first prize in food processing and beverage making.

She says since last year the group started producing wine from grapes and the product sample has been taken by TBS officials for testing to ascertain if it conforms to required standards. Currently, she says the Group produces wine from sorghum.

Wine production, she says has to date rose to 1,000 litres and that after obtaining the TBS certification, the group will be able to penetrate both local and international markets.

JAGEF Group, which was registered by the Deputy Registrar of Business Names on May 6, 2009, has won two friends, all Kenyan nationals, based in Nairobi who have been selling its products in the neighboruing country. “They say our products are becoming a hot cake in Kenya,” she says.

On future plans, the group intends to expand the present factory and acquire modern tools and equipment as well as increase production to meet growing demands in local and international markets.

Plans are also afoot to increase employment opportunities depending on production trends, according to Ms Mushi who added that currently there are four permanent work force and over 20 casual labourers who were normally hired during harvesting period.

AllAfrica – All the Time