Miriam Nabakwe is the brains behind Kienyeji’s, a restaurant that serves real traditional meals and veggies.
The entrepreneur set up the company to sell traditional vegetables to families in need and do not have easy access to them.
They sell a wide range of kienyeji veggies, including kunde, terere, sebebe, mrenda, sagaa, managu and normal spinach.
Additionally, precooked options are available for takeaway.
Speaking in an interview, Nabakwe stated that she started the firm to create awareness about healthy eating.
She also stated that she started the firm to help traditional vegetable growers who were having problems finding a market for their produce.
Nabakwe has also hired a few women to help her around the restaurant.
“I established the business in 2014 to help people easily access traditional foods since most of them worked and had little time to look for these vegetables,” she said.
To bridge this gap, Nabakwe would collect vegetables from vendors, sort them, and even precook them.
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The entrepreneur, who has a background in food and beverage administration, learned to cook from her late grandmother and her father, both of whom enjoyed cooking.
“My father enjoyed cooking, and I enjoyed learning from him; he was the last born, so he spent a lot of time with my grandma. That’s how I learned to love cooking,” she explained. The decision to open the restaurant was prompted by the fact that most young people are unfamiliar with traditional vegetables
“With no starting capital, I began modestly with veggies supplied to me by my mother and a freezer purchased with help from friends. My first clients were my friends,” she explained.
Nabakwe uses social media to promote her business.
She sources them from organic farms, primarily in Western Kenya, though the company has also employed farmers in Nairobi to grow organic veggies.
“We risk lifestyle problems since many of us have adopted western cuisine and no longer eat the traditional foods our grandparents ate
“It’s the forgotten foods that I am trying to revive, letting people know that they can still enjoy rich nutritious traditional foods in the city,” she said.
Nabakwe’s products cost between Ksh 300 and Ksh 900.
