Upendo Shea Butter SME enhances market access and revenue through IIA’s upscaling program

Upendo shea butter is an Ugandan based small business that processes and sells raw organic shea butter. According to Fiona, the director of Upendo Shea butter, the overall role of the company is to supply organic shea butter to beautify the customers skin and hair. “There is no chemical or preservative in my shea butter products. It’s purely natural” She added.

As a startup, getting access to the market for her shea butter was the main challenge she faced. Fiona says that her only clients were people from her contacts and referrals who would view her products on her WhatsApp status.
To address these challenges, Upendo shea butter joined the Invest in Africa SME upscaling program, which aimed to upscale manufacturing for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in natural product clusters in Kenya and Uganda. The program aims to upscale manufacturing enterprises in natural products in Kenya and Uganda, and it involves five modules: access to finance, market access, transparency and traceability, good manufacturing practices and new product development.

Fiona attended the access-to-market session. Through the social media session, Fiona learned how to increase her social media visibility by showcasing her products on different social media handles like Facebook and TikTok, and she has been able to get more clients than before. She also learned how to be aggressive and grab opportunities that come her way, not only relying on social media, but also showcasing her products at church events and events for women groups. "When I’m participating in an event, I carry my products with me and showcase them to people at the same event,” she added.

Packaging is an important part of the product brand and marketing. Its ability to stand out enhances sales. Through the good manufacturing practices program, Fiona learned the importance of good packaging and presentation of her products. ”I was using tins that I would just get and put a cover on top of, but now I have looked for appealing tins that would look appealing and attractive to my customers and I later cover them with foil paper on top, making them look attractive,” she explained.

Through the practical application of the lessons and guidelines from the program, Fiona has been able to get many clients and has also been able to export her product to Canada.