NAIROBI, Kenya, June 1 – Agro-food processor Kakuzi yesterday opened a new macadamia oil processing plant with a capacity of 1,000 litres per day.
The new unit also has an installed capacity of 2,000 tonnes of saleable kernel (SK), making it one of the largest in the region.
Kakuzi Chairperson Nicholas Ng’ang’a said that the firm had grown beyond a farm enterprise and is now a sophisticated international agribusiness player.
As part of the firm’s corporate strategies, he said that the firm is also investing financial and related resources to boost the local consumption of various superfoods, including avocados, macadamias, and blueberries.
He explained that the local consumption campaign will involve investing in value-added initiatives such as the Macadamia Oil Plant and the enterprise hub known as Kakuzi Farmers Market, which provides opportunities for other entrepreneurs to partner with Kakuzi in a shared prosperity model.
“At Kakuzi, we are strategically investing in resources that can facilitate shared prosperity for all our stakeholders. With the new macadamia oil processing plant, we hope to more than double macadamia consumption locally with a positive ripple effect across the value chain,” Ng’ang’a said.
Kakuzi Macadamia operations started in 2007 in fields that were previously under coffee and pineapple crops.
Currently, the Macadamia Orchards cover more than 1379 hectares, and the Kakuzi Macadamia Division provides more than 1200 decent jobs in a rural setting. This may double in size as the orchards mature in the coming years.
“To spur economic growth in our county and country, a strategic focus on industrialisation, value addition, and manufacturing is imperative. However, to realise this vision, concerted efforts must be made to create an enabling environment to attract foreign and local investors,” Murang’a County Government Governor Irungu Kang’ata stated.
“Investment in Industrialization and value addition not only creates employment opportunities but also helps to bridge economic inequality gaps.”
Recently, Kakuzi unveiled a range of consumer products developed over the last two years for the domestic market, including ready-to-eat macadamia, gluten-free macadamia flour, macadamia cereal mix, and blueberry packs.
“This is part of our operating strategy to meet the growing demand for value-added products within our superfoods portfolio and, at the same time, to provide decent job opportunities for rural communities,” Kakuzi Managing Director Chris Flowers added.
“If we are to raise farmers’ incomes, then we must concentrate on high-value international and domestic markets in equal measures.”
