Lupane Veggie Guys break into export market

LUPANE Veggie Guys, a local company based in Matabeleland North province, has embarked on a massive expansion drive at the same time empowering local communities with more than 100 women roped in under an out-grower scheme, which supplies the business with chillies.

Under its robust and hands-on approach, the company is empowering rural communities through the promotion of value-addition of indigenous fruits and vegetables.

In an interview one of the company’s team leaders, Mr Mgcini Mazula, said they were working with 100 women in Lupane who are supplying them with raw materials for the production of their chilli sauce.

He also said they work with different communities in Matabeleland North where most of the raw materials, including baobab fruit comes from.

“As Lupane Veggie Guys, we produce chilli sauce and heritage-based juices. We are working with the Lupane community as we get chilli from them thereby empowering them. We are offering higher prices compared to what is paid by other buyers,” said Mr Mazula.

He said the company was also buying fruits like umviyo and umnyi that it uses to produce juices.

The company first made headlines in 2020 when it introduced a one-of-a-kind chilli sauce and later a wide range of products that include juices, vinegar, pastes and purified water, which empowered many rural communities along the value chain.

It was only last year, after exhibiting for the first time at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) that the company managed to attract regional attention.

Mr Mazula said they were now supplying their products to South Africa where there is a company, which buys their juices.

“As Lupane Veggie Guys we normally supply the local market but we have ventured into the export market. We are now supplying the South African market and they are getting large quantities of traditional heritage-based juices,” he said.

Mr Mazula said they were supplying SA 30 cases every two weeks.

The company is one of the thriving local small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are working with ZimTrade in a bid to improve their products in terms of quality, packaging and branding as they prepare them to compete in the regional and international markets.

Recently, the company introduced a new packaging for its juices as they moved from a plastic container to a new glass bottle, which has made their products more appealing.

Mr Mazula said they were also working on a new branding initiative for their products. ZimTrade is running a training programme called marketing and branding for international competitiveness.

This programme is meant to capacitate SMEs with critical information on good branding and packaging skills. –-chroncile