tawandamusarurwa
YOUTH BUZZ
Delight Nyamande
THE Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) is a premier exhibition held annually in Bulawayo.
Winning an award at the fair is naturally a seal of approval.
As such, for Ms Taruvinga Zororo, who manufacturers value-added agricultural products, scooping the Best Zimbabwe
Small and Medium Enterprise Exhibit trophy was an indescribably humbling experience.
Her company, Zororo NeMugoti, cans horticultural produce and manufactures beverages and snacks from fruits.
“Currently, we have opened some marketplaces that are dotted around the country; for instance, Pomona Farmers Market and Spice Hub Churchill, both in Harare, as well as Halfway House and Old Sables Market,” she said.
She is also leveraging on digital platforms to reach a wider audience.
Ms Zororo, who is in her mid-thirties, has exceeded her own expectations with the progress she has made so far in her entrepreneurial journey.
She owes much of her success to the support she received from the Ministry of
Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development — which formalises 10 community groups in each province after every 100 days.
When the opportunity presented itself, Ms Zororo took part in trainings afforded through the programme and learnt how to put together a saleable business proposal.
She subsequently formalised her nascent venture and received support from the Women Development Fund.
Moved by the plight of farmers who would lose their perishable products, the budding entrepreneur decided to resort to adding value to the commodities.
This marked the birth of the venture in 2021.
“After engaging in farming, I knew how difficult it was for farmers to grow these crops and sometimes get revenues that were not commensurate to the labour and chemicals they would have invested,” she said.
“One time, I was pained to see tomatoes being thrown away at Mbare Musika after going bad.
“I decided to come up with ways to preserve this produce so that it could have a longer shelf life and better value in the market.
“We are friends of farmers because we don’t want them to lose anything from whatever they grow. We even buy the smallest heads of cabbages that are no longer good to make sure that everything has value.”
Since then, she has never looked back.
The company has since grown from a micro to a small enterprise.
To date, it employs six permanent employees.
Contract workers vary depending on demand.
Throughout the years, she has won several local and international awards.
Last year, she came third at the Mozambique Expo for being an innovative entrepreneur.
In order to assist other women who are trying to find their feet in financing their projects, she formed a cooperative dubbed the Savings and Credit Cooperative Society (SACCOS), under the SheExporter Hub.
Through this hub, women can lend money to each other to boost their businesses.
A qualified culinary arts chef by profession, Ms Zororo is indebted to Government for making her dreams a reality.
She has what she believes is invaluable advice for budding entrepreneurs: “Those who want to start businesses have to be disciplined in managing finances and ensure they account for every cent. No money is too little to start a business because where there is a will, there is a way.”
Twitter: @NyamandeDelight1
Online Reporter