With the right mindset, persistence and hard work, one can literally rise from the ashes, beat all the odds and achieve their dreams. This is the story of Susan and Njoroge Muturi: a couple who started off hawking milk and ended up establishing a Ksh50 million Dairy Farm in Ruiru constituency.
Here is the couple’s interesting full story as told by WoK.
Background
Njoroge Muturi was born and raised in the interior villages of the Central province of Kenya. After completing his secondary education, he felt the urge to be independent and self-reliant and so he set out for a job where he could make a few coins. He secured a job in Githunguri as a herdsboy, looking after around 20 cows.
Being the shrewd man he is, he discovered that there is a new way he could make some extra bucks. During low seasons when milk wasn’t easily available, the prices would rise and so he would take advantage and secretly hawk the milk in the neighbourhood.
While speaking to Biznakenya.com, Njoroge revealed that the venture cost him his job even though he doesn’t regret it.
“My employer discovered this and dismissed me from my job. This was a blessing in disguise,” he said.
The Journey
After he got fired from his job, Njoroge had learnt that he could make something from the milk business and so he decided to go all in. He relocated to Kiserian town in Kajiado County where he rented a house with a small compound.
He would then buy two cows from his savings from the previous job and hawking business. During the interview, he explained how he would look after the cows and hawk milk at the same time.
“While in Kiserian, my day would begin at 2 am by going to Githunguri to buy milk and sell in Nairobi and its environs. I would then be done hawking milk by 5 pm then head back to Kiserian to look after his cows,” he explained.
It was during this time that he met his wife Susan, who coincidentally also had interests in dairy farming.
The two would later get married and decide to partner in order to fully pursue this interest.
They would then use the internet to learn more about dairy farming such as cow breeding and treatment. A couple of years later, they relocated to Ruiru where they established their dairy farm.
The Success
After moving to Ruiru, the duo established Tassels Dairy Farm seated on a one-acre piece of land. The farm hosts over 400 dairy cows which produce between 6,000 and 12,000 litres of milk in a day depending on their stages and development.
The couple has employed six full-time employees who are in charge of various sections of the farm and 14 casual labourers who come depending on the workload.
The milk produced from the farm is sold in various Schools and restaurants around Ruiru Constituency.
They also sell dairy cows at between Ksh200,000 and Ksh 30,000 depending on their size and productivity levels.
The Ksh 50 million Project
During an exclusive interview with The Standard, the couple revealed that they are constructing a Ksh50 million dairy facility which will be one of a kind in Kenya.
The facility which is fully automated includes a bereket milking machine (cutting edge milking automation and simplified parlour management) which comes in many sizes from one cow unit to huge automated parlours.
“There is no need to seek hi-tech dairy services abroad because the future is here. The facility is fabricated with locally available materials and will revolutionize the dairy farming industry in Kenya and Africa. There are huge opportunities in the dairy sector in Kenya. Many Kenyans love milk but they know little about keeping cows,” revealed Susan.
