Kennedy Thiong’o, 23, took a huge leap of faith when he decided to put aside his training in aeronautical engineering and instead start extracting oil from avocados.
While his classmates envisioned careers in the aviation industry, he saw things different. After graduating from college in 2014 he turned down an offer to work at Wilson Airport and established Kencardo, his avocado oil brand.
Two years down the line and he has never looked back. In his workshop at the outskirts of Majengo slums he gets to work, peeling and squeezing the ripe avocados to extract the oil that he later peddles in salons and beauty establishment around Nyeri Town.
“Avocado oil is a very lucrative business in many countries but it has not picked up in Kenya despite the fruit’s abundance here,” he laments.
From 16 kilogrammes of avocados Thiong’o extracts a litre of oil that could easily retail for Sh4,000. He says in countries like Australia and New Zealand, a similar quantity would go for Sh7,000.
To begin his business, Thiong’o put in Sh3,000 and made a return of Sh20,000. He is now considering commercialising the venture even as he continues retailing his 50ml bottles for Sh150.
The most challenging part of his job is marketing: “Most people do not understand the uses of avocado oil and the concept is one they find rather strange,” he says.
Thiong’o buys the fruits from local farmers and to fasten their ripening process, he stores rotting materials from the market underneath the crates holding the avocados
“The ethylene gas released by the rotting plant materials makes the fruits mature faster,” he says.
He encourages youth, who are afraid to take that leap into entrepreneurship, to come up with unique ideas and innovations and do things differently.
