NUST student run enterprise, PURED Agro Processors PVT/LTD win Start-up Challenge
Congratulations to NUST student-run enterprise, PURED Agro Processors PVT/LTD who won the Value Creation Start-up Challenge coordinated by Eight2Five Innovation Hub and sponsored by Old Mutual Zimbabwe.
NUST's Tsepo Manganda, a Part2 Risk Management and Insurance student, won US$6500 in the Emerging Industries category, which will go towards helping PURED escalate its project.
This ground breaking, Tomato powder product was inspired by a realisation that there was a lot of post harvest losses in the tomato production sector in Zimbabwe. According to an unpublished Rural Agro-Industrial Development CentresTomato Processing Investment Brief by the Government of Zimbabwe, "between 45 % and 55 % of tomato produced in Mutoko is lost along the supply chain before reaching the retailer. The magnitude of losses is estimated as 6% at harvesting, 12.5 % during grading and packaging, 8.5% during transportation, 7% during wholesaling, and 16.5% at the retail stage."
This winning innovation seeks to reduce the losses mentioned above significantly whilst creating a long-lasting solution to tomato shortages and easing storage challenges for households themselves as the product gives a convenient way of incorporating tomatoes into relish, enabling hassle-free cooking, with no chemical additives in the tomato powder.
PURED Agro Processors PVT/LTD, A group of young entrepreneurs, passionate about transforming agro-products into value-added products, participated in the Value Creation Challenge (VCC), a dynamic incubation program designed to nurture entrepreneurship and drive innovation in Zimbabwe.
Sponsored by Old Mutual in collaboration with Eight2Five, the British Council, and the British Embassy, the VCC provides a supportive platform for aspiring entrepreneurs to develop their business ideas into viable ventures.
The national competition for startups across Zim, saw PURED Agro Processors competing under the Emerging industries Category. The start-up first made it to the top 40 participants in July, then to the top 27 and further down to the top 12 ideas.
At this point, the remaining top 12 startups went through a three month incubation program at the Eight2five innovation hub before competing for the top 4 spots to get funding for their businesses.
This is where PURED AGRO Processors Pvt/LTD, emerged winners under the Emerging industries Category, earning themselves US$6500 in funding for business support.
Pured Agro Processors is thus revolutionising the food industry in Zimbabwe by producing high-quality tomato powder in various flavours and artisanal tomato sauce while promoting sustainable agriculture practices.
Congratulations to #OurStudentsOurPride
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