It has been a long journey for Kenyan entrepreneur Pamela Muyeshi, but it is now clear that whatever recipe for her success she had put together, it is paying dividends.
Her unique Afro-themed hotel chain, Amaica, ha opened shop at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Terminal 1A, taking the battle to the very entry point into the country.
Ms Munyeshi serves a special treat; the gourmet safari, a seven-course meal selected from all regions in Kenya prepared traditionally to the detail.
“We have chosen a signature dish from every region for the product and we offer both a vegetarian option for every non-vegetarian part of the course. It’s actually our biggest product in terms of revenue,” Ms Munyeshi says.
The hearty entrepreneur says she saw an opportunity to build the ordinary traditional meals into a viable, authentically African hospitality business and grabbed it with both hands.
“I used to travel a lot when I was head of IT at the Federation of Kenya Employers, and I would see the standard continental food was kept somewhere in a corner but the traditional meals were done very elaborately because people were proud of their cuisine,” Ms Munyeshi said.
She decided to translate Kenya’s diverse culture with their respective cuisine into a business.
Amaica, which literally means the three traditional cooking stones in Luhya language, has grown into a major brand in just over ten years.
“I believe that being an African; born, bred and schooled in Africa is the greatest gift that God ever gave me. We have so much going for us as Africans living in Africa and more specifically in Kenya,” Ms Munyeshi said.
She noted that she could not think of anything else other than a business that elevates and positions African culture and heritage where it belong.
Ms Munyeshi opened Amaica’s doors in November 2006 at China Centre in Ngong. The launch was attended by the then Vice President Moody Awori.
“Currently we have two branches that are operational; Westlands on Peponi Road, and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Terminal 1A. We are set to open a third branch in the next few months,” she said.
An alumni of Alliance High School, Ms Munyeshi worked as the head of information technology at FKE but opted out to venture into business.
She said she got tired of “sitting behind a computer” especially after the company’s system was automated rendering her job strictly supervisory.
“I am an IT Expert, software development to be precise. I quit employment in October 2008 to run the business after realising that my business was not performing the way I wanted it to,” she said.
When she set out into the unknown, Ms Muyeshi discovered that she needed more than just a good idea. Financing the idea was her greatest challenge as she was soon to find out that no financial institution was willing to deal with start-ups.
Her African woman-run concept however attracted private equity fund, GroFin Africa Fund in 2011 which put in money in her business, allowing her to expand and grow.
This year, Ms Muyeshi’s business was recognised by Vital Voices Grow Fellowship which nominated her to attend a US-based one-year accelerator programme for small and mid-sized women business owners.