Khawa Foods Finds Niche in Fruit and Veg Space
Pauline Dikuelo | Monday March 1, 2021 14:52
Amoeba Chemicals, a local chemical manufacturing company owned by Omar Bakali was also traumatised by the coronavirus. However, instead of folding his arms Bakali then decided to diversify his offerings for survival.
In an interview, Bakali said he decided to tap into food production after realising a niche in the market. “It was during the lockdown when I realised that people needed to be supplied with food, especially fruits and vegetables due to the restriction of movement. They preferred online buying, hence why I tapped into the opportunity,” he told BusinessMonitor. Trading under Khawa Foods, the company sells fruits and vegetables including mango, grapes, tomatoes, apples, onions, green peppers, potatoes, cabbages, garlic, ginger brocolli, cauliflower amongst others. For convenience sake, the company also do deliveries at a certain fee to their customers. Bakali added he mainly get his supplies from both local and cross border farmers, adding that local farmers are not reliable which forces them to go beyond the border. “Most of the local produce does not meet our standards because perishables need to be in good shape for us to re-sell.
We sometimes go as far as Pandamatenga and Tuli Block to get our stock and if they are out of season we struggle,” he said. His clientele currently consists of hawkers, individuals and catering companies. He also operates four fruits and vegetables stalls in Gaborone. Touching on the future, Bakali said he plans to move into the retail space by opening shops in peri-urban areas like Kanye, Molepolole and Mochudi. “We are still stabilising the business with the clientele we have, and it has the potential to expand but we will be taking one step at a time,” he said.
Bakali’ s other company, Amoeba Chemicals distributes cleaning chemicals, construction solvents, brushware, plastic, hygiene products, personal protective equipment and sanitisers. The company’s biggest clients include those in the hospitality and retail industries as well as government. He employs 18 people with plans to increase the number once the business grows.