Organic fruits and vegetables production

Paul

Nairobi, Kenya

100% paid forward

Entrepreneur

Name

Paul

Member since

April 2014

On-time repayments

81 installments  •  64%

About Me

My name is Paul Kimani. I was born in Koru, Western Kenya and grew up as an ordinary African child from lower social class. My family was forced to move from our home following the deadly ethnic clashes of 1991.
We moved to Nairobi where my mother has been a trader at a city market.
I'm very passionate about the environment and advocate for living in peace with nature, wildlife and most importantly with other people. I often visit Nairobi National Park as I enjoy seeing wildlife roaming freely in their natural habit just a few kilometers from the center of the busy city. It shows we can accommodate each other if we chose to. I also enjoy participating in conservation activities and have been planting trees to mark different events in my life such as birthdays and anniversaries.
I have a bachelor's degree in Tourism Management from Kenyatta University.
My hobbies are, camping, fishing, cooking, gardening and writing articles.

My Business

I started a grocery supply business where I was supplying eggs to hotels and fast food outlets, but later changed to less bulky products. I now supply mushrooms, strawberry, cherries, gooseberries and blueberries to supermarkets and other retailers in Nairobi. I source the fruits from farmers in various counties (Laikipia, Nyandarua, Nyeri and Kiambu). The products are packaged and labeled at the farm and all I apply is my marketing skills to sell them. My cost include that of transport and delivery, which leaves me with a markup of 15-25% depending on market prices. Fresh produce are highly affected by factors of supply and demand and fluctuation of price. I intend to solve this by producing them myself.
I have so far completed a short course in mushroom production at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
I own a small farm where I have planted fruit trees, vegetables and rear chicken, goats and very soon pigs as a "grow your own food project."
I'll be delighted to share the progress with zidisha family.

Project Proposal

I want to plant more fruit trees in my garden to diversify the produce. I will plant sunrise variety of pawpaw as it suits the weather in my area.

Feedback

1

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Project Info

Project Type

Pay It Forward

Disbursed amount

$292.00

Date disbursed

Jul 21, 2023

Backers

juliemartha

Lake Mary, United States

E

E

Marin county, United States

Zipporah

Nairobi, Kenya

Vratik Krocik

Prague, Czech Republic

JH

Joseph Hwang

Houston, United States

Mary

Nairobi, Kenya

J

Juhani

Helsinki, Finland

M

Miguel

Madrid, Spain

JB

Juan Busco

United States

Heather

United States

Mapesi

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Ask Paul a question about this project, share news and photos of your own, or send a simple note of thanks or inspiration.

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  • Paul    Jan 14, 2024

    The price of the bike went up by close to 20% affecting all my plans as I had limited funds to invest in it.

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  • Paul    Jan 14, 2024

    The price of the bike went up by close to 20% affecting all my plans as I had limited funds to invest in it, but at least I have it now and will put it to good use.

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  • Paul    Nov 20, 2023

    I am yet to receive the e-bike I ordered as there were many pre-orders. I was hoping to receive it sooner to aid in my deliveries, but have to wait longer.

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  • Paul    Nov 6, 2023

    Thank you for backing me on this project. It will help me in taking new steps towards a clean environment.

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  • Kramy    Oct 29, 2023

    I love the direction that you are taking your delivery business. I am in Canada in computer repairs. I got an eBike and used it a lot last summer for anyone close to my home. I avoided driving 2200km, and saved about $350 in gas. All the exercise made me feel awesome.

    I hope that your eBike is everything that you dream it to be!

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  • Paul    Oct 28, 2023

    Hello, I'm delighted to post that I have cleared the loan. The funds helped me establish my farm by adding more pawpaw trees. I have also joined a community of fruit farmers and took part in seminars to improve farming where I learnt about conservation farming where we grow crops and at the same time take care of our environment. I would not have experienced all this were it not for zidisha. So far so good and the sky is the limit. I look forward to a bumper harvest of healthy organic fruits.

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  • Paul    Sep 30, 2023

    Kindly allow me to adjust. I missed the last week payment and I wish to get back on track.

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  • Paul    Sep 16, 2023

    I lost one of the crucial orders and this has greatly affected our cash flow, however I remain optimistic that this will change in the coming weeks.

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  • Paul    Jul 21, 2023

    Thank you so much for funding my project. It will help me purchase pawpaw seedlings, organic manure and cater for labor. This will be beneficial in setting up my organic food forest that will ensure we produce healthy food for my family and my neighbors.

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  • Paul    Jul 11, 2023

    Thank you so much for supporting me in my past project. I started an organic farm where I grow organic vegetables and tamarillo fruits. This has taught me a lot about organic farming as I had to research on how to deal with various challenges like pests. It has been an exciting journey and I'm looking forward to harvesting the fruits in a few months as I even add more crops. I want to play an active role in producing healthy food for my neighbors.

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  • Paul    Feb 24, 2023

    Thank you for backing me on this project. The funds will set me on an exciting journey of organic food production. I intend to purchase tamarillo seedlings, kales, spinach and the inputs required. I will also install drip irrigation system.

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  • Kramy    Feb 21, 2023

    Way to go on your healthy food business! We need passionate people looking after our food, and the health of our neighbours. You're good for your community!

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  • Antony    Feb 18, 2023

    Good luck

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    • Paul    Feb 20, 2023

      Thank you Antony. I'm looking forward to raising the remaining 46% in the 3 days left.

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  • Paul    Feb 10, 2023

    Hello, it's been a while since I updated you on my progress. I bought a property in Kiambu County and relocated. This has really uplifted my life as I've now taken charge of what we consume as a family. We grow organic vegetables for our consumption which is awesome. We also get an opportunity to bond as we tend to them.

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  • Paul    Jun 22, 2015

    I have stabilized and can pay more than the amount due.

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  • Paul    Feb 23, 2015

    My business has gone through turbulent times with some customers owing us a lot of money in debts. I will increase my installments next month because by then the issue will have been solved. Kindly bear with me.

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  • Paul    May 30, 2014

    I appreciate what zidisha is doing and intend to walk with them every step towards growing my business.

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  • Paul    May 30, 2014

    I appreciate what zidisha is doing and intend to walk with them every step towards improving my business.

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