QR 109

THE CHOCOLATE THAT EMPOWERS UGANDANS

After inheriting a farm in Western Uganda, Stephen Sembuya decided to venture into the chocolate business with his business partner, Felix Okuye. Their plan was to support the community, by asking ten local farmers to join them in cocoa production.

Stephen said: “Through trial and error, we managed to get the process right and came up with our own brand of chocolate called Uganda. We currently sell the chocolate and chocolate powder locally to hotels, restaurants and supermarkets in our capital city of Kampala. In future, we would like to expand internationally but first we needed to invest in the machinery required to meet demand, which is why we approached Shared Interest.”

Thanks to Shared Interest investors, Pink Foods has been able to purchase the processing machines and other essential equipment they need.

Read the full Pink Foods story in QR 109 here. 

DEMAND FOR HEALTHY SNACKS BENEFITS GHANAIAN PRODUCERS

Founded in 1985, by Anthony Botchway from Ghana, who was later joined by Martins Suter from Switzerland, Bomarts Farms Limited started life as a business with three acres of land used only for pineapple farming. Today, they have grown to be one of the major players in the fresh fruits export business, and a vital employer in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

In 2013, Bomarts became a Shared Interest customer, when they received a loan to expand their fruit-drying factory. The expansion helped them to buy more fruits from farmers and ultimately, increase production volumes. Prior to this, Bomarts had serious challenges paying producers. 

CEO, Anthony Botchway, said: “At times, I had to rely on my own sources to rise working capital to fulfil payment obligations to the producers. It was a hard time for the business but the Shared Interest loan helped change the situation.”

Read the full story of Bomarts in QR 109 here. 

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