Ep 02: From Piles of Over Ripe Bananas in the Market to a Thriving Banana Bread Business with Diana Wanjiru

Did you know that you can start a business inspired by your commitment to your personal values? Personal experiences are a strong driver to create products and services that solve problems in our lives and make a difference in the world. In this episode, we talk with Diana Wanjiru, founder of Dee-liciously Made and Grown, about her company and how it helps to reduce food waste in the banana value chain. She shares business lessons that she has learnt ranging from meeting unique consumer needs, discovering new markets in the face of adversity, and the commitment to continuous learning and improvement.

Transcript

EP 2 From Pile of Over Ripe Bananas to a Thriving Banana Bread Business with Diana Wanjiru

[00:00:00] Introduction

Diana: I found a lady crying because all her stock of bananas was completely spoiled. She didn't know what to do. She didn't have any other product that she would sell that to give her the margins that she was getting from bananas. But now she no longer has to worry about that, because they are already booked and will be picked and paid for in advanced.

Hi, my name is Diana Wanjiru. I'm an agri business apprentice currently in the value addition space. I'm currently baking breads and, pastries and cakes using different healthy flours. And we also source for over ripe bananas from the local market that would otherwise be thrown out as waste and what we do to them. We bake with them.

Margaret: Hi everyone and welcome to shift agrihub podcast. The show that not only inspires and motivates you to start an agribusiness venture, but also shares simple, actionable tips and strategies that will help you grow your business into a profitable venture. I'm your host, Margaret Mbesa and welcome to today's episode.

Our guest today is Diana Wanjiru. She's the founder Delicious Made and Grown, Diana, Welcome to this episode. 

[00:01:23] Inspiration behind the Business

Margaret: So take us through the journey. How did you end up here? Three years of business. Congratulations! 

Diana: And thank you very much. It began as a snack for my kids. So basically what I'd do is I needed a snack that was healthier for the kids to carry to school while at the same time, filling bananas are filling in nature but when they'd carry the actual bananas, when they brown, the kids will not eat it. So what did I have as an option? Either I start packing junk food, which fills you but not for so long. Or I look for an alternative which is healthier.

Um, I visit at the market one of the days I found out that the traders at the market usually pile up any banana that is considered deformed quote-unquote and they usually thrown out. It disturbed me because there's nothing wrong with the banana. It's just that it fell off a branch or, it just had a color that was not considered normal. That was still food that needed to be eaten. And I went and looked at the data on what people do with bananas and discovered banana bread. So in the beginning it was just wheat, banana bread, full stop. The kids were not hungry anymore. They would stay full for longer and more slices that they carried, the more their friends wanted the friends who went to their parents, their parents asked me to bake. So it was learning on the go. I learnt how to do everything on the go based on demand, from kids. Yeah. 

Margaret: That's really amazing when we, when we go to the market, you know sometimes you look at those deformed and overripe bananas and you're like, no, I'm not buying any these, but you saw an opportunity. 

Diana: Yes. 

Margaret: Wow now when we look at it as a business opportunity, maybe for that time, it was an opportunity to just feed, you know, your family, give them something more nutritious and, uh, filling so that they don't get hungry. But then at what point did you decide this is a business. This can really work out and make an income, you know, for myself

Diana: I was actually a baker still at that time, but I used to do cakes normal cakes I would do normal cakes I would do normal pastries, and I knew how much the return on investments and how much was coming in from it. But I was never settled. I was never happy. The amount of sugar I would run with the amount of wheat that I was feeding my clients and these were clients everyday, everyday, everyday. I started looking at ways they'd still enjoy baked goods, but 10, 20 years from now, you're not suffering the repercussions high blood pressure, diabetes, every, any lifestyle disease that would come in from too much sugar intake. Also wheat has been said to be having some issues long from long-term use of it. So from there, that's when I sat down and computed a lot of math goes into baking.

Margaret: Yeah I can imagine. 

Diana: So your tables come in handy every, in every process that you do for baking. And I computed and it had a profit and it had a positive effect on the people who are consuming the bread.

[00:04:39] Product Description

Margaret: So where do you get your raw materials? You've talked about the markets and do they have to be over ripe bananas? Can you just use normal bananas? 

Diana: No. Um, the, the difference with the banana bread that we offer is we do not use any dairy. The only liquid in our bananas is the banana. The highest sugar from the, in the, in the baked goods is again from the bananas. So the sugar that is used is very little just to brown the bread. Your liquid is the bananas. So you need the overripe bananas, which are liquid because that's the only liquid and with the upcoming clients that we are getting, we're getting clients that also want to go vegan, which means, again, you do not have any liquid from the eggs. It's purely banana bread. So you have to find a way of using the bananas to be your liquid for the whole baked good, and it doesn't break or fall when you mix them together. 

Normal banana that you and I know have always known was wheat and that is where we started from uh, for somebody who still needs gluten in their system, because there's nothing wrong with gluten if you're not sick or anything at all, there's a healthier option. There is actually rye and there's also spelt flour, which have very little gluten levels and they still keep you full for longer.

Margaret: Now, what is gluten, you know, for someone who doesn't know they'll be lost, what's gluten maybe you could tell us what is gluten and why there's a gluten free option. 

Diana: Gluten is a protein that is usually found in, some of the grains that are grown and the levels depend on the kind of grain it is that you find. 

Studies have shown that wheat has the highest and you can go downwards and find those which have lower. Our grandparents were very active and when they eat wheat is after a long day's work. We sit down almost throughout, you drive to work or use public means to work. So that means your body does not need all the gluten that you're exposing it to, you just need to reduced levels. 

Then unfortunately, I don't know how much in terms of studies we have done in changing the varieties of wheat that we grow in the country. That would be something interesting that somebody would look into so that we can learn how the levels are being quote and quote reduced to match with the lifestyle that we are currently carrying out. But flours like rye. and spelt have gluten, but very reduced and being very dense flours they are heavier and they will still leave you fuller for longer.  

Margaret: That must be very good for anyone who's looking at losing their weight. 

Diana: Losing their weight, this, uh, the bread is mostly targeting people who run people who gym a lot, because after all that energy is spent, there's no need to go sit down and do a whole bread. You'll just need a slice of, banana bread. And you're good to go. And your energy levels are restored. And perhaps you just add whatever else your nutritionist has asked you to add. Now, there's this other group of clients who do not need gluten in their systems. Um, I happen to have two children like that. So we don't do gluten for them. If at all it's extremely reduced. So for such clients there are different flours that are there available and the easiest to work with for myself, let me speak for myself has been teff and oat

[00:08:12] Understanding consumer changing preferences and developing solutions to meet those preferences

Margaret: You've mentioned there are some people are allergic to gluten. Uh, and they cannot consume that. Are there any other, conditions that would maybe benefit from your range of products?

Diana: Um, I've had an opportunity to work with a parent who had a child who had a celiac who was celiac, which means they cannot come into contact with any gluten at any particular point.

Margaret: That was a bit challenging because my kitchen is not a hundred percent gluten free at any particular time. And for them even having the particles in the air would affect the food that they eat. So for this particular client, I went to their home. I trained them how to bake the goods and they are able now to feed their family. For now I hear, she turned it into a business and she has a whole school of moms who also have kids with special needs and she's able to supply them with the bread. So such clients, there's an opportunity for them also to get the bread. I offer training on that particular aspect, because I can't ascertain that my kitchen will always be a hundred percent gluten-free it's going to be very hard for me to ascertain that.

Diana: Some of the breads have eggs, but we have a vegan option that is coming up. There's a niche client that want nothing to do with, uh, any dairy and by vegan, they also look at the type of oil that you are using to bake the bread so, if you tell them you bake with Palm oil, they will completely cancel their orders. So we have switched to all our breads using sunflower or canola oil so that any client who picks our breads knows that the breads, the oils that are used to bake the breads, where obtained sustainably, and they do not have any negative effects to the environment. Uh, if a client does not take eggs, there's also that option of egg-free for the wheat and the rye. Because oats and teff already come as a vegan option because again, they already gluten-free then now you do it as egg free and there are sustainable obtained oils. Yeah.

 Margaret: So where do you source those flours? 

There are shops that sell healthy flours that offer traceability. Traceability has become very important, and also the clients who we serve want to know where their food is coming from all the way backwards. So I source the flour from stores that can trace backwards, and I can always get to know where it comes from. 

[00:10:42] Clear Value Proposition to customers  

Margaret: So then, um, maybe you may have answered this, what are the other ways that you've differentiated yourself from the other bakeries?

Diana: We deal with healthy breads one. Two and, all our breads are freshly baked, which means they have zero preservatives. Our bread will only stay fresh for three days on the countertop and seven days in the fridge. We would not want it to change that. We already have people in the market who are doing breads that can last for two weeks, three weeks, four months, which is okay also. But our value proposition to our clients is that they're getting fresh food. They delivered directly to them, fresh bread yeah delivered directly to them. 

Margaret: You are in an interesting market, because if you're not allergic to wheat or to milk and eggs, you'd be thinking how many people out there cannot eat, you know, cannot take in wheat and cannot have anything with eggs or milk. That's an interesting one. And I think the market is really growing. 

Diana: Yes. 

Margaret: Because for others it's even optional. Yeah. Cause like I have bought a gluten free bread from you so that I see how it is. So I think with time as we go on, people's lifestyle, choices will change and there'll be people wanting to go gluten free.

[00:11:57] Marketing activities

Margaret: Tell us how do you market your products? And let me mention that, uh, Dee-liciously Made and Grown is also a home based business, And I'm curious to find out how do you reach out to your customers and you're operating from home and you're also in the suburbs based, you know, in Ngong. So how have you been able to grow your market? 

Diana: Um, referrals, word of mouth before COVID the targets, were offices. So everyone used to work from the office. So if you picked one office block, you'd have so many different companies, and the people would have friends and other family members. So that's how the business had grown over time. After COVID, when everybody went back home and is working from home, most of the clients still order, but then also there's a new niche clients that are coming up who work from office spaces. So that's brought in, the raising of restaurants that are serving different foods, foods in different places. So those are now our major clients. And eating in, the office is what most employers are opting for, for their clients I mean, for their staff or their personnel. So that's what we're running with right now. And when they're going home, they want extra bread to carry home, to continue enjoying the bread. So that's how it's slowly now growing.

Margaret: Yeah. So your market has shifted it from, wow from individuals to businesses now?

Diana: Now it's balancing the two and meeting the needs of the two because they're totally different.

Margaret: They are totally different with different needs. 

Diana: Yeah,

Margaret: I can imagine. Yeah. Maybe then you could tell us what is the difference between dealing with a one-on-one clients that is the end user and dealing with a business. What are the differences and what could be some of the challenges?

Diana: Um, the dealing with one-on-one I talk to you, you tell me what bread you want. I will ask if you're having a specification and deliver it. Dealing with a business I don't know who will buy the bread after, I am assuming they all know it is banana bread, full stop. So it has to be standard and it has to have the same taste week after week after week. You can't change the taste or you will lose them and the orders will reduce. So the challenge in the beginning was maintaining that same taste, but I visited KIRDI and I was able to learn how to maintain the taste throughout and also how to measure and ensure that whatever it is you produce today, if somebody asked you after 45 days, they will get exactly the same taste.

Margaret: The nature of your business needs regular purchasing, so you need regular and consistent buying from your customers. So how have you been able to build, customer loyalty so they can keep coming every week or every other time to purchase your product?

Diana: Remainders my business is paperless the only paper that leaves the business is the one that the cling film that wraps the bread. So all communication is paperless. So WhatsApp, there are Google forms, there's Facebook, there's Instagram, there's Twitter. So everywhere you go, you get a picture of banana bread looking at you reminding you that your day is almost approaching for ordering. Then I've also, studied the habits of most of my clients, so I know there's this client who will order every week. There are those who have standing orders, so they don't need reminders, you just send them an invoice, they'll clear either for the week or for the whole month. And then there are those that need nudging now and again, so you study the habits of the clients, you're able to know when to ask them for more when they place an order, but mostly how they all have standing orders. So it's just an invoice and a receipt that we keep on exchanging. 

Margaret: Yeah. That also talks about the quality of your products. I'm sure if it's a standing order, someone knows I'll get to exactly what I want.

Diana: Yes. 

[00:16:03] Tips on time management 

Margaret: How are you able to balance the family demands and the business demands?

Diana: Every second counts. So if I delay by 10, 15 minutes, it has a ripple effect that could even extend two weeks. So during the day, a mummy taking care of the kids, my eight hours at night, I bake, then I find time in between to sleep. That's how I run with it. I still do my seven hours, eight hours every night. It's just that it might not be continuous. So I find ways to balance it and make sure I finish the hours.

Margaret: And you said every second counts.

Diana: Yes and I do a lot of lists. I have a list on everything that I need to do and a backup, just in case I forget a list. So I have a notebook with me all the time and lot of lists. 

Margaret: It's admirable. It's not easy working from home. You know, sometimes people think if you work from home its, the easiest option, but sometimes it's not, because it's very hard to divide that time, this is time for them office and for their family, they get, you know, they cross each other

Diana: yes. 

[00:17:13] lessons learnt and Advice

Margaret: So what did you wish that you knew before you started your business? 

Diana: I wish I knew how to bake. I didn't know. I've not gone to any school to learn how to bake. I've taught myself everything. I got somebody to teach me how to bake cakes when I was beginning the other business, but for banana bread, the recipes I learned from scratch. recipe online, modified to work for the clients that I'm targeting and run with it. And not only run with it continuously improve on it. So thE clients who started off with me in 2018, right now, are enjoying a better quality bread, because I guess I've mastered what needs to be done and continuously practicing.

Margaret: I like what you're saying about continuous improvement. Because many times, once we learn, we're supposed to do this, we stick with that same original product or formula, but then there's competition. Things are changing. People's tastes are also changing and acquiring new tastes. So what you're doing is really good because then you keep on improving the product and I'm sure your customers can also tell that their product, they got, like you've mentioned a couple of years it's not the same it's much better now.

Diana: Yes

Margaret: And any challenges failures that you've experienced in your business? 

Diana: I never knew at the beginning how to price my bread. I thought you just compute the ingredients that you use then slash off a percentage to, if it was two kgs flour you've only used two cups. That's the only price that you put. I never thought that you're supposed to put in the electricity, the man hours it takes, the cleaning up, the water bill, the small things that we neglect all those costs as supposed to be factored in when coming up with the price of the bread.

Margaret: And lessons that you've learned from your three years of business. 

Diana: It's a continuous learning process. You need to look at the big picture. What is it you're looking at? I know the benefits of my business will not only be felt by this generation, my kids already learning how to bake the banana bread. So I hope they will run with it also. That's what I've started with them, when they're still small and they hope they'll pass it on because the benefits on reducing food wastage are not supposed to be felt only today. There's supposed to be a ripple effect over and over and over downwards. Yes. And then also it's a learning process. It's humbling. You, you go to the market and you find, I found a lady crying because all her stock of bananas was completely spoiled. She didn't know what to do. She didn't have any other product that she would sell that to give her the margins that she was getting from bananas. But now she no longer has to worry about that, because they are already booked and will be picked and paid for in advance. So it's, there's no waste, in agriculture.

Margaret: Actually there is no waste. We just need to learn how to use it because there are many ways that you can use the, the waste and turn it into something beneficial. 

So in the cause of your, you know running your business, interacting with farmers or other entrepreneurs, are there certain business opportunities that you've seen or gaps or challenges that, an inspiring enterprenuer can do some research and see whether that's a business that would fit with the resources that he has and he can start. 

Diana: We need to stop looking at things from their face value. Don't look at a tomato as a tomato. What does a tomato give you? A tomato will give you tomato sauce, it will give you chili sauce, it will give you ketchup, it will give you animal feeds for the chickens. It will give you seeds that you can regrow into your garden. So when you look at any particular food, don't stop at its face value. When you see a potato, what is it? A potato is a potato, which you can cook, you can mash, you can fry, but you can also convert it to flour. You can pick the starch out of the potato and make potato starch.

And the farther you go, the higher the numbers. So a potato is ten shillings but potato starch is 10, 15 times that amount. 

Margaret: True. 

Diana: Yes. And there's a growing need for it. 

Margaret: So what you're saying is that when we see something like I made the same example about tomato, we should not look at it as if I don't get a market am, done so in at the planning stages, the farmer or even the trader, they should look at different ways of how this tomato can reach the markets and reach the consumer. It can reach the consumer as it is, or they can process into ketchup and even sell to restaurants and homes. It can be dried for tomato to be powder.

Diana: Yes. And the higher, the value that treats the more comes back into the farmers pockets to help them with other processes within the farm.

Margaret: It's true. The higher, the value, the more they benefits.

Diana: Yes. 

Margaret: That's nice. That's very good advice.

Maybe there could be some, entrepreneurs who are listening to this podcast and who are debating to either start a home-based business, uh, or to go and start the business outside. What is the advice that you can give them ? They are at point where they're debating, what should they do?

Diana: Start small. Um, for the first three months of my business, I only used to sell two banana breads. And for me, that was enough at the time for the needs I had. All I needed was extra flour in the house. So I started with the two banana breads. When my needs grew, I increased the business and then learn from others. Don't be scared to make mistakes. Yes. Learn from your mistakes, improve and now go back again. Don't make a mistake or fail and forget about the business. You've seen the picture where there are two men digging a hole and there's a big diamond at the front of some guy and he stops right before it. You never know. That diamond might be there. 

And then don't limit yourself too. We are now living in a global village. Most of the processes I've learnt I've not learnt locally. I've learnt from international and renowned bakers. If you have that extra shillings, spend it and learn, it makes a big difference. You don't have to leave your house anymore. You just click a button, pay the amount, and the person will spend time with you and teach you what it is you need to learn. So we are living in a global village now learn as much as you can from different areas and only pick what applies to you. If it doesn't apply to you say, thank you, note it down. You might come back to it, but leave it there and run with what, works for you.

Margaret: That's sound advice. Thank you so much, Diana.

Diana: Thank you. 

Margaret: We've come to the end of this podcast. Thank you for coming, spending time, sharing your nuggets with us. Truly appreciated. So where would customers or anyone who wants to reach you for training to buy the banana bread, how can they reach you? 

Diana: Um, Facebook and Instagram and Twitter, our channel is @lifeasamumbakin. Baking with an n at the end, and also our phone number is 0716 007470 WhatsApp, or send a message and somebody will get right back to you.

Thank you. And we will include these details in our podcast show notes. So thank you so much, Diana. 

 Thank you for having me.

[00:25:01] Outro

Margaret: Thank you for taking the time and joining us today. Remember to visit our website shift agri hub.com for show notes for this episode, and other useful resources. And yes, subscribe so that you can receive the latest episodes as we release them

For now, It's Kwaheri. See you, in the next episode, as we shift mindsets with simple, actionable growth ideas