His aspiration had always been to become a supplier to the renowned agri-tech company.
This dream, which started in 2019, has now transformed into a successful partnership, demonstrating the power of persistence in business.
Ndiku’s initial encounter with Twiga Foods occurred when he sought to supply them with oranges.
While he secured an opportunity to supply the company with this fruit, the challenges quickly emerged.
The orange business was fiercely competitive, marked by a bidding process that made securing supply orders a daunting task.
“…..because it’s in the public domain, and we are different suppliers, others will see the price…(then) place a bid of a lower price than that. So, at the end of the day, getting a supply order was not very easy. So somehow, we did not manage to supply them,” Ndiku explained.
Despite the initial setback, Ndiku refused to yield to adversity and embarked on research to explore other business prospects.
After careful consideration, he decided to venture into the world of honey.
“I kept in touch with the office (Twiga), and I wanted to know when maybe honey would be listed or the possibilities of it being listed. So earlier this year, I saw someone on Facebook holding honey while saying he had bought it from Twiga Foods,” he shared.
“That sparked my mind. And remembered I have been following up on Twiga, whether they will be listing honey.”
Subsequently, Ndiku approached the company, and to his delight, he received approval to list his honey on the platform in February of the same year.
“And consistently, we’ve been receiving orders from Twiga. Consistently, they’ve been making payments; consistently, they’ve been helping us build this organization.”
On average, his company, Agrisafe, supplies between 1,200 and 1,500 kilograms of honey per month to Twiga Foods.
When a customer places an order through Twiga Foods, the company procures the product from suppliers like Ndiku before distributing it to customers.
Ndiku emphasized the importance of meeting quality and safety standards, with all their products having undergone thorough evaluation by the Kenya Bureau of Statistics (KEBs).
“The very basic one is quality. It is obvious that for every organization dealing in food products, quality is very key. And we must dedicate; we must prove that our products are of good quality,” he underscored.
“One of the things that we’ve supplied to Twiga is the KEBS certificate that shows that our honey has been sampled and has been approved to be a good product that can be sold to the general public,” he added.
However, the process of becoming a supplier to Twiga Foods required submitting various documents, including the certificate of incorporation, PIN certificate, and company profile.
Agrisafe, which was founded in 2019, now employs three individuals on a full-time basis and an additional part-time worker.
Ndiku expressed his gratitude for Twiga Foods’ prompt payments, noting that the company consistently disburses payments every two weeks, alleviating the need for follow-up.
Besides its collaboration with Twiga Foods, Agrisafe also distributes and sells its products in Nairobi and the surrounding areas.
Ndiku emphasized the significance of distinguishing between genuine honey and fake ones.
He highlighted factors such as moisture content and sugar levels as crucial differentiators, along with the importance of sensory cues.
“The other one is that sometimes you will smell these; you should be able to trace nectar and flowers in honey if you’re sensitive to the smells of flowers and the like,” he advised.
“So, when it is adulterated, and more so, through molasses, you are likely to sense some burnt sugar in it. So, that should give you an indication that you may need to do further analysis to know whether it is adulterated in a scientific way.”
One of the most valuable lessons he has learned in business is the necessity of unwavering focus on success.
Ndiku’s journey from oranges to honey stands as a testament to his determination, persistence, and commitment to achieving his dream of becoming a successful supplier to Twiga Foods.
