Sipping success: Inside a student's banana empire

A crowd gathers around a table lined with bottles at a stall inside the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).

An exhibitor standing behind the table hands out tiny plastic cups to curious attendees. She lifts a small container and pours a brownish liquid into each one. The visitors cautiously raise the cups to their lips and, one by one, swallow the contents. At first, there is silence.

Suddenly, faces tighten. Eyes squeeze shut. Noses wrinkle. Brows furrow and shoulders stiffen.

They look at each other in disbelief.

One of them clears his throat, still wincing. “Is this really wine… from bananas?” he asks, staring into his cup. “You mean bananas can produce something this strong?” Laughter erupts.

This was the scene at the stall of Calista Eva Wambui during the 9th Africa Agri Expo, where more than 35 counties showcased agricultural innovations.

At her stand, banana wine was the star attraction, drawing crowds eager to taste and even more eager to buy.

At just 20 years old, Wambui is the founder of Eco-Banadev Enterprises, which she started in 2024 in Ngoingwa, Kiambu County, with a simple mission to reduce losses caused by overripe bananas going to waste.

Growing up in a region abundant with bananas, Wambui resolved to sell the fruit and earn her own income instead of sitting idle.

“At 18, I felt I was old enough to look for my own money instead of asking my parents for support. There were plenty of bananas I could hawk,” she says.

It was after she began selling bananas that she experienced firsthand how farmers and traders suffered losses when ripe fruit failed to sell.

Determined to find a solution, Wambui began researching on value addition, and discovered a range of high-value products she could create along the banana value chain, transforming what would have been waste into profitable goods.

Today, her product line includes banana puree, flour, powder, chips, jam and alcoholic beverages such as wine and beer. Beyond wine, she also produces fried banana plantains. “We slice and deep-fry them using energy-efficient methods to save on gas, and we use high-quality edible oil that is safe for consumption,” she explains.

Her banana flour is made from green bananas that are sliced, solar-dried and grounded into flour. The product is nutritious and especially beneficial for people with digestive issues such as ulcers.

Nothing goes to waste. Even banana peels are transformed into organic fertilizer. She notes: “Instead of discarding the peels, we compost them and introduce microorganisms to speed up decomposition. We produce both solid and liquid fertiliser. The liquid fertiliser is applied as a foliar feed.”

Wambui says, through value addition, she’s reduced waste to nearly zero while significantly increasing her profits.

To support her operations, she constructed a ripening chamber capable of holding up to one tonne of bananas at a time. The facility allows her to ripen bananas in bulk for both market vendors and processing.

Calista explains that wine making involves fermenting overripe bananas under controlled conditions.

Her wines mature for at least six months, sometimes more than a year, and are made primarily from organic bananas. Occasionally, she infuses natural herbs such as hibiscus, traditionally believed to support heart health, alongside other herbs commonly used to help manage conditions like hypertension and diabetes.

Sharing a glimpse of her earnings, Wambui says she buys 40 kilos of bananas at Sh2,000 and turns them into products worth Sh8,000, earning a profit of Sh6,000. For plantains, she sells at Sh150 per kilo and can make upto Sh2,500 profits per week, depending on demand. 

She invested Sh30,000 in constructing and maintaining the ripening chamber. Sourcing for the bananas and transporting them to the facility costs roughly Sh10,000, while each ripening batch requires about Sh300 in materials to enhance the process.

The entrepreneur is not considering seeking employment; she is already creating jobs, working with dozens of local farmers who supply her with bananas.

To young people waiting for opportunities, she offers this advice: “I encourage young people to take risks and consider entrepreneurship, along different value chains. You never know where it might lead. Entrepreneurship can create opportunities not only for yourself but for others as well.”

Currently pursuing a degree in Development Studies at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Wambui says her studies complement her business by focusing on community empowerment and improved livelihoods.

She credits her mother, Faith Wanjiru, as her greatest inspiration and adviser in business decisions. She also acknowledges the impact of exhibitions and trade fairs in marketing her products and connecting with partners.

Her biggest challenge remains capital for expansion and limited access to equipment. The equipment provided by the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP) is shared, and at times, she has to wait for others to use it before using it, further delaying her production.

Despite the challenges, Wambui says NAVCDP has been a source of relief in her entrepreneurial journey as it provided her with solar dryers, assisted with Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) certification, offered capital funding, and trained her in entrepreneurship and marketing.

Wambui rates her business performance at six. I’ve done well so far, but I’m not there yet. There’s still more to learn, improve, and grow. Mistakes are part of the journey,” she says.

She adds, “My business has taught me patience. After all, I’m dealing with wine, which can take years to mature and produce the best quality.”