A Research Project Inspired by His Mother Grows into Lucrative Business

Renown world-class companies worth billions of dollars were established by college students. Think of companies such as Google, Microsoft and Yahoo.  Often, these companies are products of research projects that graduate students undertake. In a few instances, undergraduates such as Mark Zuckerberg the founder of Facebook and Matt Mullenweg the founder of WordPress have built successful companies.

Mr. Abraham Wahid addresses rosella farmers in Kirinyaga County

 Abraham Wahid may not be ranked with the likes of Zuckerberg, but he is an entrepreneur who conducted his undergraduate research with the aim of turning it into a business empire. At 28 years of age, Mr. Wahid is the director of Rosella Functional Beverage and Foods Company. An enterprise he founded through his undergraduate research.

  

Inspired by his mother

While in third year, Wahid went home for holiday awaiting to join his final year the next semester. As with every final year student in campus, he was expected to come up with a research project. To most undergraduates, research is just another requirement to successfully complete a course. Well aware of the task awaiting him in college, Wahid was keen to note any problems that required further investigation in his field of food science and technology.

On one evening, while at home, Wahid was served an unusual drink that was purple in color by his mother. She claimed that the drink was a rich antioxidant with numerous medicinal benefits. As a food science student the funny looking concoction caught Wahid’s attention and he decided to carry one of the rosella plants to the university lab and test the benefits that his mother claimed.

Rosella plant whose fruits are used to produce Rosella Drink

 Sponsored to carry on with research

Wahid reviewed lots of literature on the plant, studied it widely and documented it for his research project. Following his promising research, he was offered a scholarship by the university to carry on his undergraduate study at masters level. After graduating with his second degree in 2011, Wahid established his company, Rosella Functional Beverages and Foods, with some funding from JKUAT to produce his flagship product, Rosella Drink.

Rosella Drink is a natural healthy juice that is free from chemicals. The rosella fruits that Wahid uses in his production of beverages are organically grown by Kenyan small scale farmers.  The fruits are dried in the sun by farmers before selling them to Rosella Company. A kilogram of dried rosella fruits goes for Kshs. 1,000. A farmer can harvest 500 kgs of rosella fruits from one acre of land. To-date Wahid has 500 farmers in Kirinyaga, Kitale and Taita.

Rosella herbal tea

Rosella company has grown in the last two years to include products such as Rosella Herbal Tea, RosellaWine and Rospyne (Rosella apple wine). Rosella Drink is now the drink of choice in Mwea, in Kirinyaga County where Wahid piloted Rosella farming. The drink is widely consumed in institutions such as JKUAT and Dedan Kimathi University. Corporates also place orders for the healthy drink during functions.

 Research in agriculture pays

“Research in agriculture and food production has great potential commercially. There are many gaps that exist in the agricultural value chain and it is up to the academics to fill them,"  he advises. "I had a hunch that I was onto something big when the university showed interest in my work and  I was called back to do my masters. I really thank my mom for serving me that odd looking purple drink years back. It has employed me and my staff members,” contiues Wahid, currently a PhD candidate at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

5 Benefits of Rosella Drink

Wahid's Rosella Drink

1.      It is free from chemicals

2.      It is an antioxidant

3.      It soothes colds

4.      Helps digestion

5.      It’s very sweet; sweetened by natural honey!