PineKazi, a Kenyan company, has recently made international headlines for transforming post-harvest pineapple leaves into footwear.
The firm now buys pineapple suckers from farmers for Ksh 15 per sucker and turns the leaves to pulp, which is used in the textile sector.
According to the founders’ insights, a pair of shoes takes approximately 16 suckers to produce, with the finished product retailing for Ksh 6,900.
However, at wholesale costs, the company sells them for Ksh 5,600.
According to the brand’s founders, Yvonne Awour, Angela Nzomo and Michael Langat, the product is primarily handcrafted, a labor-intensive and time-consuming procedure.
When asked about the company’s motive, the CEO underlined the goal of creating a sustainable fashion brand while also giving job opportunities for Kenyan youth.
“Annually about 766 million tonnes of post-harvest pineapple leaves are usually produced and they are burnt or chemically decomposed
“So, by collecting this waste, for every 1,000 tonnes of waste we collect, we reduce carbon and methane emissions by 0.28 metric tonnes,” said Pine Kazi’s co-founder, Olivia Awuor.
Yvonne Awour Okinyi, the firm’s CEO, noted that the firm faced operational management obstacles such as funding issues when investing in the company’s expansion.
She also highlighted that the corporation, which requires a strong presence in research and development, had failed to acquire such capabilities, despite aspirations to expand into other products.
