Nothing predestined the two men to become entrepreneurs. However, Juditherat Huchez-Makaya and Gloire Marjolaine Nsoko have left the beaten track and since then they have been living one of the most beautiful adventures of their existence. ” I was brought up by a trader. From a young age, I already ran my mother’s table at the Plateau market for 15 years. I believe that I did not choose to undertake. After my degree in logistics and transport, I just found myself in the sauce “, confided Juditherat Huchez-Makaya, co-founder and manager of Gold-Banana.
Six years already that these two young Congolese have taken the taste buds of Ponténégrins on a journey with the range of Gold-Banana products: mixed banana and yellow corn flour, banana flour, banana semolina, corn semolina, couscous from banana and corn couscous. Products made without additives and without preservatives that come in 500, 750, 850 gram formats and 25 kg bags. This therefore amounts to preserving all the benefits of the banana.
Indeed, with its carbohydrate content, the banana provides energy and interesting vitamins. In addition, thanks to the magnesium and potassium it contains, it is also very effective in accelerating the basic metabolism and catalyzing the elimination of calories, promoting rapid muscle recovery, limiting fatigue and in the fight once morest cancer and ‘hypertension.
For the distribution of their products, Juditherat and Gloire have opted for a short circuit, i.e. direct sale without an intermediary. ” To date, we work with a dozen companies in Pointe-Noire, including restaurants, hotels and pastries, who have trusted us and who love the quality of our products. “, they specify. Pizza, doughnuts, cakes, pancakes, porridge, couscous, semolina, meatballs… are, among others, the recipes made with Gold-Banana products.
Despite the fact that the company Gold-Banana would have a wealthy address book with suppliers in almost all the localities of the Congo, to date it encounters as its greatest difficulty the accessibility to the raw material due among other things difficult and impassable roads. A challenge that it still hopes to be able to meet in the future with the support of the government and private actors because today, with wheat flour which is becoming scarce on the market, finding alternative solutions is proving to be an imperative.
« It is time for us, Gold-Banana and other local SMEs that process Congolese agricultural products, to overcome this problem by marketing different flours with our own crops: banana, corn, sweet potato, yam, etc. This is already the case in Côte d’Ivoire where the government has invested in this sector of upgrading and processing agricultural products », estime Juditherat Huchez-Makaya.
In the meantime, Gloire and Juditherat pursue their dream of winning the hearts of the Congolese every day by making them adopt their products and become market leaders. And thanks to the support of all these actors in the shadows who relieve them in their daily tasks and responsibilities, ” history continues to be written, with the goal of reinventing itself every day ».
