LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
GBRI Business Solutions, on a mission to be a leading horticultural company in Tanzania.
Hadija Jabiri is the founder and MD of GBRI Business Solutions in Tanzania. She is an entrepreneur committed to making agricultural production a sustainable and profitable business through empowering smallholder farmers. Hadija is an IVLP alumnae and holder of multiple awards and nominations for her work and business which is making a real difference in people’s lives.
LoA chatted to Hadija Jabiri this month to learn about her agribusiness that is committed to making a sustainable impact in her country.
What does your company do?
GBRI specializes in growing, processing, and selling premium fresh fruits and vegetables in domestic and export markets. Its vision is to be among the leading horticultural companies in the region with a full value chain integrated model.
The company sources its produce from 5000 contracted smallholder farmers from southern and northern highlands of Tanzania. The company supports its smallholder farmers with technical training, extension services, input loans, handling equipment and transport services, thereby guaranteeing produce quality and compliance with International standards. GBRI’s out-growers program has helped the company to ensure consistency and quality in supply.
What inspired you to start your company?
I grew up in a middle income Tanzanian family where my father is a government servant, and my mother is a small scale businesswoman. I never saw them going to the farm and as we imitate most of what our guardians do, I never thought that I would one day engage in the farming business. I only went into agribusiness after seeing a money making opportunity, though after so many years of doing it and seeing the impact it makes to the community around, I can confidently say I have learnt to love what I am doing.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
GBRI has an end-to-end business model which offers a strong value proposition for both farmers and vendors creating formal market access for fruits and vegetables in the domestic market, addressing the biggest challenge of unstructured domestic market access of fruits and vegetables to farmers. The business is underpinned by a technology platform. GBRI provides quality produce with increased shelf life (2-3 days) directly to vendors. GBRI has a B2B mobile platform which offers easy customer ordering, a cashless process, and importantly a digital transaction history to vendors to enable them to access financial services e.g. working capital/loans.
Tell us a little about your team
GBRI has a team of permanent employees and the company gets between 50 to 150 casual workers daily depending on the volumes of production.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
My mother has been doing small businesses. While growing up I always had thoughts of studying and engaging in business believing that was the perfect route for me to be able to sustain my needs. I went to St Augustine University, and I studied a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounts. I would say seeing my mother doing business and the education gave me a great push to what I am doing today.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
As much as GBRI has been able to export to European countries, still the company is planning to tap into the Middle East market. The company is operating in four Tanzanian regions but in the near future we are looking forward to establish our presence in all cities. Dealing with horticultural produce which is highly perishable pushes the company to increase its investment in cold storage and transportation infrastructures.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Being able to help small holder farmers attain increased productivity and being assured of markets for their produce is what gives me satisfaction. As a young person, running a company which gives employment opportunities to hundreds of other young people is fulfilling as well.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Being a woman myself and encountering many challenges while setting up and running a business has given me a number of learnings:
Believe in yourself and your idea, you won't get encouragement, especially when you are starting.
Don't try too hard to prove your point but rather focus on growing your business and your success will help you to prove the point.
Contact or follow GBRI
WEBSITE | EMAIL hadijaj@eatfresh.co.tz
