After graduating from university last
June, Kendi Kimathi opted to concentrate on preparing and selling
traditional millet porridge as a career; a decision which
unsurprisingly did not bode well with many of her friends and family.
Some
of her classmates at the Kenya Methodist University (Kemu) hailed the
23-year-old’s decision for its uniqueness as a business venture but many
rubbished it.
Her mother, Jennifer Kimathi, was lost for words.
“She
was of the opinion that I first seek employment, save money for a
business and start off while still employed,” Ms Kendi told Enterprise
during an interview at her mother’s house in Lang’ata, Nairobi, which
also serves as her production centre.
“Mom felt I should only quit employment to concentrate fully on my porridge business once it showed signs of breaking even.”
The
idea of Uji Benda, her company, popped up when she was still in school.
She used to sell porridge to close friends and family.
Thereafter,
demand started growing through referrals, giving her the motivation to
start marketing her product at events in church and at her clients’
parties (mostly traditional ceremonies such as payment of bride price
However, Ms Kendi, who holds a human nutrition and dietetics degree, did
as her mother advised and got a job with a local telecommunications
firm, working as a customer relations attendant.
She quit five months into the job, citing insufficient
pay and the fact that working for six days a week left her with little
time to do what she loved most — preparing gruel.
Using
her savings and financial help from her mother, Ms Kendi travelled to
Meru to buy a grinding stone in order to concentrate on her porridge
business.
The porridge is made from two main ingredients, pearl and finger millet, which she grinds.
The porridge, which is normally left to ferment for a couple of days, is sold in two versions — cooked or uncooked.
Ms
Kendi said her product, which is quite popular in her hometown, has
great nutritional value including being a source of calcium, phosphorous
and has high fibre content. She also asserts that her porridge creates
an alkaline environment in the stomach and is therefore suitable for
stomach ulcer patients.
Some of her first clients were elderly people who require meals rich in anti-oxidants to aid digestion.
“We
need to revive traditional meals if we are to save this generation from
an unhealthy lifestyle and resultant diseases,” she said during the
interview.
“This porridge is also good for lactating mothers. It enriches their milk.”
Production centre
As
orders picked up, Ms Kendi employed one worker to grind the millet,
have it fermented and cooked as she concentrates on the sales and
marketing bit of the fledgling business.
Many people
hardly believe that porridge has health benefits, she said, adding that
some strangers agree to buy the product once she mentions that she is a
nutritionist by profession.
She sells her products in three, five and 20 litre jerricans.
A
five litre jerrican of cooked porridge retails at Sh1,000 while the
pre-cooked version of a similar quantity will set one back Sh750. A
20-litre portion of cooked porridge has a price tag of Sh 4,000 with the
raw form is Sh1,000 cheaper.
During festive seasons Ms
Kendi said she rakes in up to Sh60,000 monthly. in other months she
makes about Sh30,000 from the business which she promotes on social
media.
“Our goal is to standardise our porridge and
distribute to supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, gyms and hospitals. We
also aim to have a production centre where we can produce the porridge
in large quantities,” she said.
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