Fatma Riyami
Managing Director of Natureripe Kilimanjaro Limited ( NKL) an agro processors.NKL has a fruit farm growing mainly mangoes, friut seedlings nursery and are roasters of nuts , mainly cashewnuts and peanuts
The comapny started in 2000 as exporters of mangoes and selling fruit seedlings. NKL noticed a gap in the local market in that while Tanzania is one is one of the big producers of cashew nuts in the world; tasty quality nuts are not available for the local consumers. This is in spite of the fact that local consumers love to eat cashew nut and have been consuming them for many years.
Natureripe has launched a snacks business by producing tasty cashew nuts for the local market. The aim this year is to expand and market the product all over the country, export to neighboring countries and internationally. NKL is currently producing high quality roasted, spiced, crunchy and tasty cashew nuts unmatched by what is currently provided in the market
From 2006 NKL started roasting and selling high quality snacks , cashewnuts and peanuts in pacs of 250 gm and 1 kg
NKL wants to expand its capacity to meet the growing demand of its products which at the moment are sold in only 5 regions in Tanzania and has started to market the products in Uganda.
We need to mechanise the packaging part of the process.NKL intends to expand to cope with the increasing demand.
To achieve the production, NKL is linked to the small holders of Kibaha Districts in Coast Region UVUKI.UVUKI a youth organization processing cahsewnuts, it has a small factory which employs about 75 youth -90 % are women.The raw cashewnuts are available from the farmers from the area thus a good linkage to the farmers.
With expansion NKL intends to do, it is our belief that more UVUKIs will mushroom thus creating employment to youth and women.
The expansion will involve acquiring new machines, motor vehicles, funiture & fittings ,civil works and buildings and working capital.
Machines: Roaster 15kg/hr, Peanut skin remover 240 kg/hr,Seamer Machine,Automatic Packing machine, drying machine, blenders, mincers and other small machines like trolleys , trays etc .
Vehicles : 31/4 ton truck for deliveries, 7 ton truck for collection of raw materials (cashew nut, peanuts and other nuts )and 2 bajaj motorcycles closed body for delivery of small quantities to customers.
Building Works: The present building will need renovation and building an extension at the existing area to accomodate the new machines.
Funiture & fittings: at the present moment we get online orders from Shoprite and it is mandatory to invoice them electronically, therefore the need for capacity building in terms of having good computers and pritnters.And train the personnel to be computer literate. There is also a need to have inter-office network. At present only one officer at a time can access the internet.
Working capital: For comsumables which are Raw materials (cashew nuts and peanuts),Packing materials (cartons, cans, packets, labels,) Barcode fees, cooking oils and spices and flavours.
Vehicle running expenses and repair and maintanance :For the purchase of fuel ,lubricants and oils and the annual repairs and maintanance.
