As far as household brand recognition goes, Kenblest is one of the most popular food brands in Kenya, having featured as a delicacy on many a family’s breakfast table.
However, few Kenyans know the story of Kenblest’s growth from a small family business into one of Kenya’s most profitable companies, with an annual turnover of over Sh2.5 billion.
This is Kenblest’s journey as told by WoK:
Kenblest was founded almost 80 years ago by Kanji Ladha Shah as a textiles and general goods store targeting the small population of Indians who operated clothing stores in Thika.
The business was initially known as the Shah Kanji Ladha Company.
When Kanji Shah passed away in 1962, his cousin, Hemraj Sura Shah, took over the business.
As fate would have it, he also passed away two years later and left the company in the hands of Mohanlal Dharamshi Shah, who had joined the business in 1950.
Over the years, Dharamshi has successfully steered Kenblest, running the company with his three sons.
“It was under my father’s tenure as managing director that the business grew by the largest margin and diversified into many areas, including food supplies,” said Mayur, one of the sons.
In 1968, the business diversified under the brand name of Thika Household Suppliers. It pivoted to manufacturing, supplying foodstuffs to schools, hospitals, and other government agencies.
Dharamshi introduced his sons Anju, Jinit and Mayur to the business in the 1960s when they showed interest in running the business as a lifetime career.
“He enrolled us in local primary and secondary schools so that we could join him in business and learn the ropes after school. We all attended Gatumaini Primary School in Makongeni, Thika, and later proceeded to Chania and Thika High Schools,” said Jinit.
Anju was the first brother to join the business in 1974. Jinit then joined four years later after finishing college.
Mayur was the last of the brothers to join the business in 1981 after completing a diploma in a baking course.
Thika Household Suppliers later opened another branch known as Anjim Fabrics.
The new branch was based on Nairobi’s Biashara Street and dealt in selling bedsheets, blankets and khangas.
In 1982, the company’s directors identified a large gap for high-quality Kenyan bread in Kenya’s industry.
They therefore started a bakery and named it Kenblest Limited.
Through a combination of grit, hard work, and business acumen, Kenblest had expanded from producing 80,000 to 230,000 loaves per day within four years of establishment.
By 2006, the company had become the largest single-roof bread producer in Kenya, making 330,000 loaves per day.
Kenblest reinvested greatly in increasing its production capacity by building more and larger maize and wheat mills in Thika.
Additionally, the company bought hundreds of trucks and haulers to ensure that its products reached every town in Kenya on time.
According to Janit Shah, Kenblest’s CEO, the growth was attributed to changing eating habits, with more and more people consuming bread and bread products for their lunchtime meals, not just breakfast.
Additionally, he stated that many of their competitors were using outdated machinery which often breaks down on a regular basis.
“Our machines are much newer and can handle greater volumes, which has enabled us to push on with our production. We have seen former competitors unable to adjust their processes and machinery, and their revenue has suffered greatly,” he said.
One of the challenges that Kenblest is currently facing has been an increase in amateur bakeries in rural areas, which produce bread at lower costs and at lower prices.
However, Janit maintained that their winning strategy will always be the provision of high-quality products at fair prices.