Kindly introduce yourself to us.
My name is Anzazi Kiti. Founder of Taste Afrique Co. Ltd, where we manufacturer Chibundiro Natural food seasoning out of value addition of spices and vegetables.
So Anzazi, how did you get to where you are today? What was the motivation?
I was born, taken to school, learnt different life lessons and identified my love for good healthy food. That motivated me to start Chibundiro!
What does Chibundiro mean?
It comes from the Swahili word `bunda’. Chibundiro is a pestle and mortar in Chonyi community, used to grind foodstuffs. When we started our business, we used to grind a lot using a pestle and mortar. That is where the name came from.
What goes into making these products?
Onions, Garlic, Ginger, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Cloves, Coriander. These are the ingredients.
How has the entreprenuership journey been so far? What can you say is the secret, if any for creating a brand?
The journey continues. It has been challenging each day, fulfilling and satisfying. The secret is persistence, prayer, perseverance and being creative. But a wise man rarely shares the secret ingredient, unless it’s Chibundiro.
How does one get the standardization mark?
You go to the KEBS office with your certificate of incorporation, fill in some forms relevant to your business then pay a fee.You then await for them to come pick samples and inspect where the actual operations are.
They then go test the samples in their lab as per their standards then give you a certificate and number or if not qualified tell you where to make the changes. Then they inspect periodically and renew annually.
How is the response of the customers regarding your product?
Customers are king! Being a new product we are still creating the demand and trying to balance it out with our production. Personally, my milestone is when customer feedback is great and they are satisfied with the product.
So, what next for Chibundiro in the coming years?
As Taste Afrique, our vision is to spices up households with Chibundiro. We hope to be the leading natural food seasoning for all kitchens. Our next steps will be to actually implement our vision by setting attainable milestones
