Purity Gakuo is the founder of Kuza Freezer, a pay-as-you-go solar-powered freezer enabling rural fishermen to effectively deal with the huge challenge of post-harvest losses.
Growing up in a community where most people depend on fishing to earn a living, huge post-harvest losses due to lack of access to affordable cold-storage equipment is among challenges that most fishermen face.
To eradicate these challenges, Gakuo partnered with Dennis Onkangi to manufacture and distribute solar-powered freezers.
Here is her story as told by EAFeed.
Purity established Kuza Freezer in July 2021 to make refrigeration affordable to the small-scale fishers of Africa.
Since establishing the business, the company has seen a 60% increase in their customers’ monthly income and a massive reduction in the amount of fish lost.
“This solution helps these rural fishermen to effectively deal with the huge challenge of post-harvest losses by extending the shelf life of their catch,” Purity said.
Additionally, the company manufactures tricycles fitted with small freezers, allowing fishermen to easily transport their products to markets and remote areas.
“We offer these products on a pay-as-you-go payment model that is sustainable for low-income fishers,” she said.
Wuth their invention, Purity says they have created more than 160 direct and indirect jobs in the fish value chain.
“We are currently working with 10,000 small-scale fishers in Kenya, and so far, we have been able to reach over 250 customers with our solution,” she said.
Entrepreneurial background
Growing up, Purity was engaged in small business activities including selling thrift women clothes and jewellery.
She also made and sold handwritten recipe cards.
“This would cater for my personal needs while in school. I knew that I had passion and would pursue entrepreneurship even after my tertiary education, and so when I saw an opportunity in my community, I was excited to innovate and come up with a solution,” Purity stated.
Achievements
Purity studied hospitality and business management at the Nairobi Institute of Business Studies (NIBS) and the University of Nairobi respectively.
In 2022, Purity was announced as the winner of the Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year and the Business for Good awards.
The ceremony held in Hague, the Netherlands.
Purity received 33% of the total votes, subsequently walking away with Ksh 1.2 million.
Speaking during the event, she said she will use the prize money to accelerate the production of the revolutionary freezers.
Following the win, Purity was admitted into the Youth Business International (YBI) for being the overall winner of the awards which brought together young entrepreneurs from the world over.
She also secured a chance to undergo a business coaching session sponsored by the YBI.
Purity’s vision for Kuza Freezers is to reach 3,500 small-scale fishers in sub-Saharan Africa.
“My future plans and aspirations are to scale our company’s manufacturing processes by investing in modern machinery, which will not only enable us to accelerate our production processes but also cut down the cost of production,” Purity said.
