City entrepreneur who quit top IT job to make goat sausages
A desperate search for the perfect barbeque saw this Information Technology expert mull the option of starting his own line of food products.
Eventually, Peter Njonjo resigned from his managerial position at the European Union to start a company that makes sausages, burgers and bacon.
And in just one year, he has managed to get his products on the shelves of supermarkets in the city.
His company, Gregos Foods, was registered in 2014 but started operations in July 2015. It currently sales its wide range of goat, beef and pork products in Chandarana, Game and other tier two outlets like Safeway. It is also finalizing talks to supply its products to other major supermarkets.
LOVE FOR COOKING
In an interview, Mr Njonjo told Nairobi News that he was pushed by his love for cooking and quest for quality barbeque products.
“I already had passion for food and I used to have barbeque every weekend but I was a bit miffed with the kind of products I was getting here. And if you have travelled a bit you know that Kenya has the best meat in terms of the world, but what we are actually getting in terms of retail is not the best. I thought we could do better so we started off,” he said.
The firm started by leasing a production facility instead of building a new one which would have required a lot of capital.
Mr Njonjo says the firm partners with farmers in Kikuyu and Kiambu and buys pigs from them at higher prices compared to the rest of the market.
He has employed 10 people at the factory, 20 indirect sales representatives and five hawkers who distribute to individuals who make huge orders.
UNIQUE RECIPES
According to Mr Njonjo, he plans to partner with other small scale entrepreneurs who have unique recipes and are looking for a production facility and distribution channel.
The 42 year-old says competing with the market leaders has been the toughest part of his entrepreneurial journey, but innovative ways of marketing the product in events and online have led to increased production over the last one year.
“At the moment we are not making money, we are making sales because a lot of our efforts are directed towards sales conversions. What we are trying to do is to convert prospects into leads by having various sales and promotion activities.
“I can’t say we have made money being one year-old, though our sales have improved. All our efforts are to plough back profits to increase production,” explained Mr Njonjo.
His advice to budding entrepreneurs is to be realistic about the market.
“Give yourself time to grow, go for what you can do best and ensure you add value as opposed to being ordinary.”
