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operator has said.
Mr Tawanda Mutyebere, the chief executive of Chicken Slice, said fresh farm produce by local farmers was healthier than imported GMOs.
“We have seen the advantage of buying products from the Zimbabwean farmers. Our food is healthier, tastier and the naturalness of the products cannot be compared to the GMOs which are imported. We have always relied on the fresh produce from our local farmers.
“We even make spices from what we get from the local farmers and this is why our food is different from other food chain groups,” he said.
He was addressing guests at the recent Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce awards in Harare saying buying from the local farmers helped boost the Zimbabwean industry.
“There should be that balance of scales whereby what the farmers produce is consumed by the local market and since we opened we have always been supportive of the local farmers. The produce is of high quality and often we deliver generous portions to ensure that we are different from the others,” he said.
The local industry, he said, needs the support of everyone because it has a positive impact on the Zimbabwean economy.
“Seeing that we are using multi-currency in Zimbabwe it is imperative that we keep the money circulating here than exporting it. This in turn promotes local industry, the economy at large and creates employment,” he said.
Turning to the awards, the 2011 ZNCC Entrepreneur of the Year, said since winning the award his company has been gaining recognition not just in Zimbabwe but in Africa.
“There is a certain standard that comes with winning the ZNCC award and one of the most important things is good business. We attracted a lot of investors not just in Zimbabwe but even those from abroad who want to partner with us.
“Another important aspect of the awards is that we also reached out to our target market because many people wanted to identify with our products, services and in turn we got big business. However, we have also been challenging ourselves to keep on improving our services. Obviously, when you are given such an accolade expectations will be high that you improve on your services,” Mr Mutyebere said.
He hinted that already there were a number of foreign investors who wanted to buy the Chicken Slice franchise.
“What we would want is to sell the franchise to foreign investors rather than us going to open branches outside the country. So we are still looking into that but the truth of the matter is that we want to operate in Zimbabwe.
“However, this does not mean it’s been easy for us. Not at all, the fast food business demands pushing volumes. The profits do not come overnight but over years,” he said.
This year alone, Chicken Slice has won three awards including the Sadc Quality Awards and the Empretec Zimbabwe Entrepreneur Award over and above the 16 awards it won last year.
Online Reporter