BY FIDELITY MHLANGA
FINANCIAL services entity, Homelink, says it has come up with a programme to support the growth of micro enterprises as part of its initiative to boost economic growth.
The company has come up with a Homelink Rural Business Women’s Village geared towards promoting communities venturing in diverse types of business.
“We have been doing this for the past year. We support rural businesses. We want to support all agriculture businesses. We want to support women. As you may know, we are in property. We are also in micro-lending. We started supporting rural businesses last year. This year in our second year, we have been supporting women. We fund everything in provinces and identify good businesses and give them loans,” Homelink managing director Desmond Ali said.
Several micro businesses in various sectors were given a platform to exhibit at last week’s show. One of the enterprises which were exhibiting under the tutelage of Homelink is Essential Delights.
The Beitbridge-based enterprise, which started operating this February, was exhibiting at this year’s Zimbabwe Agriculture Show.
Kudakwashe Garaipasi co-owns the company with Anna Muleya.
Essential Delights produces baobab beverages such as maheu, fruit drink and opaque beer.
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Garaipasi said he envisages the company going international.
“We started this company early this year. Now, we are going around marketing our products. We have been to the Beitbridge Business Expo. We have also been to the Gwanda Agriculture Show.Now, we are here at the Zimbabwe Agriculture Show. Business is looking good. We have flooded the Beitbridge Spars and other small shops. Others now go to Chitungwiza and Masvingo. Our production capacity is about 5 000 cases per month. We are doing productions as per order,”Garaipasi said.
“For now, we use small machines. We are looking to establish a very big factory because the market is good. Women are supplying us baobab fruit from around Beitbridge, Chivhu, and Birchenough. Baobab fruit is a seasonal tree, but we stock. Our vision is to be a multinational company. So far, responses have been great. We see us supplying Africa and the entire world. We have made links in Indonesia, the United Kingdom and Denmark.”
