Chronicle Editor
Sikhulekelani Moyo, [email protected]
HAVING faced health challenges that forced her to avoid certain foodstuffs, a 38-year-old woman has invented various vegetarian products aimed at providing health benefits as alternatives to different meat products.
Ruvimbo Tuwe of Machuma’s Kitchen came up with the idea to produce vegetarian products after realising that many people experience health issues from consuming meat products and other highly processed foods.
Tuwe is now producing vegetarian meatballs, burger patties, and her newly launched vegetarian samosas, which are available in some supermarkets in Bulawayo.
She registered her company in 2019, after spending about seven to ten years developing her recipes. As a hypertension patient with very high cholesterol and being overweight, Tuwe had to make drastic lifestyle changes to improve and sustain her health.
The products she produces are those that helped her reduce weight, lower cholesterol levels, and manage her high blood pressure.
“This business was started as a labour of love when I had problems with my own health. At times I had to stop eating meat completely because it used to make me sick, whether red meat or white meat and I had very high cholesterol and I was extremely overweight.
“The base of this recipe is the formulation of things that I have developed and personally know from my own experience that they definitely work in terms of you trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, to know and be conscious about ensuring that your body is getting organic food.
“I used to weigh 106 kg and I have managed by diligently ensuring I’m managing what I’m eating and putting into my body. I have maintained about 80 kg for the past five years,” she said.
Tuwe mentioned that she collaborates with local farmers to source farm produce that meets her high standards and quality requirements.
“These products are supplied by local farmers; we work together to structure what products we need at what time of the year and when they do their rotations they come and serve me directly. I am also contributing to the Bulawayo economy,” she said.
Tuwe underlined that value addition and beneficiation of farm produce is a critical sector that needs to be tapped into to create employment for locals. She also highlighted that supporting local value chains plays a crucial role in sustaining healthy communities, as imported products are often over-processed and contain preservatives that are not good for health.
Meanwhile, Tuwe has joined this year’s ZimTrade Next She Exporter programme, aiming to penetrate the export market. Her goal is to grow her business beyond Bulawayo and even beyond Zimbabwe’s borders. The Next She Exporter programme seeks to train women entrepreneurs for export readiness. @SikhulekelaniM1
Online Reporter