Athanas Matheka: How I Began Food Business Empire With Ksh15,000

Before approaching the fence leading to the vast Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) airfield, a maze of murram pathways leads to a factory and my attention is captured by the smell of groundnuts.

The rumbling production machines at Greenforest Foods are not the only thing disrupting a peaceful atmosphere on a Friday mid-morning, September 29. The generator is running and I can only guess why; Kenya Power.

A young man welcomes me to the factory, that is after calling me several times to inquire why I'm still late for the product immersion. I'm led to a boardroom, in the company of about five young journalists drawn from mainstream and digital media houses and we wait for a while until Greenforest's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Athanas Matheka walks in.

He offered an apology for the rumbling generator which I learned couldn't operate all the necessary machinery so the orientation and the subsequent factory tour took longer than I anticipated, but it was worth it.

Greenforest Foods CEO, Athanas Matheka interacts with journalists on September 29, 2023. /PHOTO.COURTESY

Matheka and his team had invited us for a product immersion where we got to sample Greenforest Foods' various products such as honey, peanuts, peanut butter, cashew nuts and beeswax, which as you are reading this can easily be found across various supermarkets in Kenya.

GreenForest Foods is the top producer of natural and nutritious food products in East Africa.

"With two decades of experience, we specialize in five main product categories: high-quality honey, processed peanuts, food-grade beeswax, peanut butter, and processed cashew nuts. We work closely with more than 2,000 peanut farmers and over 5,000 beekeepers in the Eastern African Region, supporting local communities and sustainable farming practices.

"Our products are available in all stores in Kenya, serving various customer needs. Additionally, we’ve expanded into the wider East African Community (EAC) through partnerships with hotels and restaurant chains," the company describes on its official website.

How Athanas Matheka Began Business Journey

However, building a business empire consisting of a factory occupying 15,000 square feet wasn't really in Matheka's magic wish. A story of hope and determination, he and his wife began small in their tiny kitchen at Umoja Estate in Nairobi, 21 years ago.

"I am a food technologist. I used to work in Unilever in the country then I moved to customer management, spent five years each, then I left," he disclosed to us regarding leaving the multinational fast-moving consumer goods company on August 22, 2000, armed with just Ksh15,000.

Matheka, who also had stints at Cadbury's and Unga Group and worked as a teacher (in proxy) at some point, further revealed that his wife at the time of his resignation was running a shop which specialised in selling honey which they self-refined and took to the shop for sale.

His wife would however close the mini-supermarket she was running after recording profits of millions of shillings from selling honey, and together they would move to a bigger house where they would encounter turbulence in progressing their business since they operated from home.

It would take Matheka countless borrowing and loans, as well as support from his wife in terms of ambition to turn a domestic experiment into a company that is one of the country's major suppliers of natural honey to leading retail stores in the country and later into a business powerhouse which produces more than 1,500 metric tonnes of its products translating to millions of shillings per day, week, month or year.

Greenforest Foods Profile

Today, Greenforest Foods deals with various products which can both be purchased physically in supermarkets and online and can be delivered to the doorstep of Kenyan homes.

The company produces one of the best peanut butter in the country, having partnered with over 2,000 small-scale farmers in Kenya which means that its peanut butter is pure and 100% locally produced.

Visitors being taken on a factory tour of Greenforest Foods on September 29, 2023. /PHOTO.COURTESY

"We adhere to KEBS (Kenya Bureau of Standards) standards of production which is why we were not affected when they banned some of the most popular peanut butter brands in Kenya over high aflatoxin levels. Greenforest Peanut butter does not contain additional ingredients apart from peanuts and salt. Our product does not have any added sugar," it adds.

Its peanut butter, as we sampled, has a glorious taste that if any hungry person consumes it, it would take him or her two weeks or more to exhaustively consume it, depending on the butter size. Specifically, it has a natural taste derived from groundnuts with no salty taste or any other additives.

“At GreenForest Foods, quality is our key pillar. We take immense pride in ensuring that every jar of peanut butter, every drop of honey, every nut, and every bit of beeswax that leaves our facility is a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence.

"Our consumers can trust that every product is a labour of love, and is crafted with their well-being and the environment in mind. Quality isn’t just our standard; it’s our promise," assures Irene Kendi, the Quality Assurance Manager.

Research shows that peanut butter has many benefits, and one of the main fats in peanut butter is oleic acid. When substituted for other fats in your diet, oleic acid is shown to help maintain good cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure. Managing these levels in your body can lower the risk of heart disease.

"Therefore Greenforest peanut butter is the ultimate energy booster and your heart's best companion. Peanut butter is also a good source of copper, a mineral that helps maintain our bone health, immune function, and blood vessels. Some research suggests that getting enough copper in your diet may reduce your risk of heart disease," explains the company.

The prices of peanut butter range from Ksh176 to Ksh687 while for pure natural honey, this ranges from Ksh271 to Ksh785, depending on the preferred size.

“GreenForest Foods is all about delivering exceptional food experiences. We have a relentless commitment to excellence, and our dedication to this mission is what fuels our daily endeavours.

"Our team of youths and women from different areas is focused on crafting the finest quality products that not only meet but exceed the expectations of our valued customers. It’s about creating moments of pure sweetness through every bite, and that’s what truly defines us at GreenForest Foods," he goes on.

However, like any other business, Matheka has had to contend with several taxes and levies imposed on raw materials, recognition by county governments and regulatory bodies who charge for food handlers' certificates as well as monthly regulation standards.

Also included are access to credit with a lack of access to working capital and financial products being vendor-driven killing Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as suitable working premises...we did mention that the factory is located a stone-throw away from JKIA.

Workforce & Partnerships

Greenforest Foods boasts of over 90 employees, 80 per cent of which consist of youth, women and young mothers. The move to incorporate youth into its workforce represents the company's ambition to define the future of the food industry while promoting positive economic change through youth employment. 

Apart from the financial partnership with Oikocredit, Greenforest has teamed up with other impact investors among them USAID, the European Union and Slovak Aid to support smallholder farmers and beekeepers.

In January 2021, the company collaborated with the European Union and Slovak Aid through its AgriFI Kenya Challenge Fund to contract over 2,000 smallholder groundnut farmers in Baringo and Elgeyo Marakwet counties.

Workers at Greenforest Foods factory in Embakasi, Nairobi on September 29, 2023. /PHOTO.COURTESY