According to the UNEP Food Waste Index report 2021, Kenyans waste about 5.2 million metric tons of food per year.
Stawi Feeds is mitigating this avoidable food wastage by developing ready to eat dog food pellets made from Black Soldier Flies, produced from papaya, mango and other fruit wastes/rejects mixed with papaya seed, coriander powder and breadcrumbs. In addition, he is capitalizing on other products such as papaya seedlings, papaya pressed oil and animal feed also made from fruit waste.
Alexander Kamwinzi, a youth agripreneur, with a Bsc. In Biochemistry and molecular biology, hails from Makueni County. He has a passion for the Papaya fruit. His interest in papaya fruit production value chain from seeds through to ripe fruits, fueled his innovative business idea.
Alexander says, “We had started making raw materials for preparing animal feed, as products on their own. These would be sold to commercial farmers and animal feed processors. In the process we developed a new product, ready to eat dog pellets.”
In the early stages, as he recounts, while learning to grow the papaya fruit, they had a challenge with the male papaya plants which don’t give fruits. We did not know that. Through research we discovered that our solution was the hermaphrodite seeds and found a certified supply company.”
In 2020 he registered Stawi seeds ltd which enabled him to start importing papaya seeds for sale from Indonesia making the cost of seeds cheaper. His clients needed a sustainable market to sell their papaya fruits. Stawi seeds ltd started buying fruits from its clients as a way of giving agronomic support to farmers.
“Currently we have five contracted papaya farmers who offer consistent supply of fruits,” states Alexander.
Purchase of the fruits created a need of handling waste and reject fruits. He came up with the idea of extracting papaya seeds and pressing oil to be used in early poultry rearing, mainly administered to chicks. In the process the papaya seed cake was ground to make powder used as animal feeds. The fruit flesh is used in feeding the BSF. The BSF is dried and ground, mixed with the papaya seed powder, waste coriander powder, breadcrumbs, and some papaya oil to make dog feed.
The biggest challenge he has faced in running this business is mainly with equipment upgrade and structure expansion. Despite this, the business has proven profitable. They have used the revenue to purchase some locally fabricated equipment and simple structures for the venture start up.
Stawi feeds hopes to become the leading company in the papaya value chain, handling both circular and non-circular products. Alexander is aiming at ensuring the agribusiness sector having no single food wastage by successfully converting wastes and rejects into more useful products.
Through the O-Farms program, Alexander is intentional on meeting and exchanging ideas with likeminded entrepreneurs. He also hopes to meet with potential investors who can aide in giving access to funds to expand his agri-circularity venture.
By Michelle Mung’ata
Communication & Marketing Lead
E4Impact Entrepreneurship Center- Kenya
