KWEDA - Women adding value to pineapples
Feb 17, 2010
They are only eight women, but they come with a vision that is value adding and money minting too. Kayunga district is known for producing pineapples and has some of the finest pineapples in Uganda.
BY JOSHUA KATO
They are only eight women, but they come with a vision that is value adding and money minting too. Kayunga district is known for producing pineapples and has some of the finest pineapples in Uganda.
However every other year, most of the pineapples are sold cheaply, especially during the bumper harvest seasons. And that is the reason Kayunga Women Empowerment Association (KWEDA) was born.
With an annual membership fee of sh10,000 and 8 members who include teachers and typical house wives, the association sought ways to stop the wastage of pineapples and now produces juice from pineapples.
“We noticed that a lot of these pineapples were wasted. We had to do something about it,†says Beatrice Kibodhe, the group chairperson.
Kibodhe benefitted from a training workshop about value addition in Kayunga town. The workshop was organised by the National Agricultural Advisory Services.
“It was an eye opener to me. I realised we were sitting on a gold mine in our villages,†she says.
When she went back, she sold the idea to fellow women.
“As a leader of the Catholic Women’s Council in Kangulumira parish, I wanted to create a difference among my people. When the opportunity for training arose, my dream of creating this mark seemed to have come closer,†she says.
And even though KWEDA juice is just six months on the market, it has already captured its own tuff in most of the schools in Kayunga district, parts of Jinja and Mukono.
To further acquaint themselves in the value addition businesses, the group invited several personalities from as far as Kampala to train them further. However the money to pay the facilitator was alot .
Everyday that he came to Kayunga, he had to be paid sh40,000. The members agreed to contribute sh5,000 each. “I had sh800,000 that I had earned from my chicken business. I contributed it to the group too,†Kibodhe says. They agreed that to stay together, they had to be transparent in all their dealings.
The training the group received was much more than just producing juices.
“The trainers did not only equip us with knowledge to make juice, but also how to male soap and jam,†Kabogozza, the group treasurer says. The group got a boost when they were offered two empty rooms by William Kibodhe, Beatrice’s husband.
Moving forward was not easy though. The group had to buy equipments necessary for the production of juices. Such included jerry-cans, saucepans and small plastic drums. In addition, the group had to get their own brand and labels.
“We paid sh800,000 for both the name and label. Our facilitator, Ssentamu contacted people in Kampala who designed the label and printed it,†Kibodhe says.
Then the real production of juice started. At first, every thing was done manually. “We used to peel the pineapples and extract juice using our hands. It was quite tedious,†she says. “Using hands to extract juice was time consuming and likely to be referred to as unhygienic,†Kibodhe says.
The sealing was also done by hand using candles to fix the polythene containers. With some earnings, the group first acquired a sealing machine that uses electricity, which eased their work. Compared to the hands and candles, it is also faster.
With more money the group acquired a juice extractor. “We bought it at sh2m,†says Jane Kabogozza, the treasurer.
The machine, which was bought from Lugogo Vocational Institute, has changed the scope of their work. While they previously processed 7 jerry-cans per month ( that is 140 litres), they now aim at producing 240 litres in the next months. Every diluted jerry-can earn them sh120,000, Kibodhe says.
The packaging materials, which include branded tot polythene papers are bought from Nile Packaging in Kampala. “They have our label in their computers so whenever we want the materials, we just make an order,†Kibodhe says. Most of the processing is done by the women themselves.
Most of the juice is consumed by residents of Kangulumira and Kayunga in general. The juice has already won the hearts of most school children in the area because it is natural.
It is worthy to note that many juice brands on the market today are processed using food colors and chemicals, but KWEDA juice is extracted directly from fresh pineapples with the only additions being conservatives to keep it longer.
Kibodhe says the women have already passed and survived the toughest stage in their group. They are now looking at expanding the business.
“Our target is to start supplying supermarkets and big businesses. We have been advised to start packing in containers and jerry-cans in order to attract these markets,†Kibodhe says.
The group also hopes to acquire a pick-up truck to help with transportation. At the moment, most of the money earned is invested back, to enlarge and modernise their operations.
Kibodhe calls upon all women in villages to think about working together because it is the only way they will develop. “We had the pineapples and saw an opportunity. Women in other areas may have coffee, sugarcanes, chicken or any other thing. The bottom line is that utilising these potentials as a group is better than going at it individually,†she concludes.
FILE
Name of group: Kayunga Women Empowerment Development Association
Location: Kayunga District.
Members: 8
Executive: Chairperson, secretary, treasurer.
Enterprise: Value addition to pineapples.
Employees: Most work is done by the members.
Overall capital so far: sh5m to register, pay for consultancy, buy binder and juice extractor.
Their motto: Transparency
They are only eight women, but they come with a vision that is value adding and money minting too. Kayunga district is known for producing pineapples and has some of the finest pineapples in Uganda.
However every other year, most of the pineapples are sold cheaply, especially during the bumper harvest seasons. And that is the reason Kayunga Women Empowerment Association (KWEDA) was born.
With an annual membership fee of sh10,000 and 8 members who include teachers and typical house wives, the association sought ways to stop the wastage of pineapples and now produces juice from pineapples.
“We noticed that a lot of these pineapples were wasted. We had to do something about it,†says Beatrice Kibodhe, the group chairperson.
Kibodhe benefitted from a training workshop about value addition in Kayunga town. The workshop was organised by the National Agricultural Advisory Services.
“It was an eye opener to me. I realised we were sitting on a gold mine in our villages,†she says.
When she went back, she sold the idea to fellow women.
“As a leader of the Catholic Women’s Council in Kangulumira parish, I wanted to create a difference among my people. When the opportunity for training arose, my dream of creating this mark seemed to have come closer,†she says.
And even though KWEDA juice is just six months on the market, it has already captured its own tuff in most of the schools in Kayunga district, parts of Jinja and Mukono.
To further acquaint themselves in the value addition businesses, the group invited several personalities from as far as Kampala to train them further. However the money to pay the facilitator was alot .
Everyday that he came to Kayunga, he had to be paid sh40,000. The members agreed to contribute sh5,000 each. “I had sh800,000 that I had earned from my chicken business. I contributed it to the group too,†Kibodhe says. They agreed that to stay together, they had to be transparent in all their dealings.
The training the group received was much more than just producing juices.
“The trainers did not only equip us with knowledge to make juice, but also how to male soap and jam,†Kabogozza, the group treasurer says. The group got a boost when they were offered two empty rooms by William Kibodhe, Beatrice’s husband.
Moving forward was not easy though. The group had to buy equipments necessary for the production of juices. Such included jerry-cans, saucepans and small plastic drums. In addition, the group had to get their own brand and labels.
“We paid sh800,000 for both the name and label. Our facilitator, Ssentamu contacted people in Kampala who designed the label and printed it,†Kibodhe says.
Then the real production of juice started. At first, every thing was done manually. “We used to peel the pineapples and extract juice using our hands. It was quite tedious,†she says. “Using hands to extract juice was time consuming and likely to be referred to as unhygienic,†Kibodhe says.
The sealing was also done by hand using candles to fix the polythene containers. With some earnings, the group first acquired a sealing machine that uses electricity, which eased their work. Compared to the hands and candles, it is also faster.
With more money the group acquired a juice extractor. “We bought it at sh2m,†says Jane Kabogozza, the treasurer.
The machine, which was bought from Lugogo Vocational Institute, has changed the scope of their work. While they previously processed 7 jerry-cans per month ( that is 140 litres), they now aim at producing 240 litres in the next months. Every diluted jerry-can earn them sh120,000, Kibodhe says.
The packaging materials, which include branded tot polythene papers are bought from Nile Packaging in Kampala. “They have our label in their computers so whenever we want the materials, we just make an order,†Kibodhe says. Most of the processing is done by the women themselves.
Most of the juice is consumed by residents of Kangulumira and Kayunga in general. The juice has already won the hearts of most school children in the area because it is natural.
It is worthy to note that many juice brands on the market today are processed using food colors and chemicals, but KWEDA juice is extracted directly from fresh pineapples with the only additions being conservatives to keep it longer.
Kibodhe says the women have already passed and survived the toughest stage in their group. They are now looking at expanding the business.
“Our target is to start supplying supermarkets and big businesses. We have been advised to start packing in containers and jerry-cans in order to attract these markets,†Kibodhe says.
The group also hopes to acquire a pick-up truck to help with transportation. At the moment, most of the money earned is invested back, to enlarge and modernise their operations.
Kibodhe calls upon all women in villages to think about working together because it is the only way they will develop. “We had the pineapples and saw an opportunity. Women in other areas may have coffee, sugarcanes, chicken or any other thing. The bottom line is that utilising these potentials as a group is better than going at it individually,†she concludes.
FILE
Name of group: Kayunga Women Empowerment Development Association
Location: Kayunga District.
Members: 8
Executive: Chairperson, secretary, treasurer.
Enterprise: Value addition to pineapples.
Employees: Most work is done by the members.
Overall capital so far: sh5m to register, pay for consultancy, buy binder and juice extractor.
Their motto: Transparency