Tasting Amhara
Tradition holds a very important place in Ethiopia – traditional practices are followed, traditional dances are performed, and traditional food is served throughout the country. In Amhara National Regional State a campaign, the Taste of Amhara, was recently undertaken by the Engineering Capacity Building Program (ecbp) to encourage food innovation. Food entrepreneurs and students from the Bahir Dar University Food Technology Department were given a series of trainings from May to October 2008 in which they learned about food safety, marketing, labeling, packaging, and most importantly innovation. Based on a memorandum of understanding between Bahir Dar University and ecbp, the trainees were also given access to the equipment in the Food Technology Lab at the University to foster the development of new products based on the traditional raw food products available in Amhara; the idea being to add value to these foods which are used in the same way throughout the country to produce similar products with little value added.
The Competition
On October 25, the Taste of Amhara campaign culminated in a competition between 26 micro and small businesses from various towns throughout Amhara. In a day which saw over 200 visitors, a jury of 9 people from government Bureaus, Bahir Dar University, and the private sector was tasked with selecting the top three products based on criteria which included innovation, quality and taste. In addition, the visitors were tasked with sampling each of the products and casting a vote for a special audience award.
The products, which were supposed to make use of traditional raw food materials from Amhara in new creative ways, ranged from ice cream, to cake made with t’eff flour (an Ethiopian grain), to fruit jams, to sausages. Showing that they had really taken to heart the trainings that they received, the participants introduced the people of Amhara to new products which were properly labeled and packaged in a hygienic way.
In addition to the competitors, Ecopia, an organic food processing company based in Addis Ababa, was on hand as a benchmark of sorts so that the competitors and attendees could see what is meant by proper labeling and packaging. Ecopia can also be seen as a great example of what innovation and marketing can do for a company, as Ecopia is only 4 years old, but already a well known brand name in Addis with their products being sold in many supermarkets in the capital city.
Countless visitors – government officials, business owners, and others – commented on the success of the event and the campaign in general, saying that this type of program is exactly what the region, and the country, needs. The participants themselves were also thrilled with the success of the event and the campaign.
The Campaign
In a country where profit margins on food products are already extremely narrow, educating the general public about the importance of a properly packaged and labeled product is an extremely important step if small business entrepreneurs are expected to spend additional money on these things. For this reason the Taste of Amhara campaign did not stop at training interested entrepreneurs, it launched a public awareness campaign in Amhara educating people about the benefits of purchasing a product which has been properly packaged and labeled.
By utilizing traditional raw food materials in innovative ways entrepreneurs are adding value to these products within the region, allowing for increased income. A significant portion of ecbp’s private sector reform component is dedicated to encouraging entrepreneurship; the Taste of Amhara campaign builds on this while making use of one of the most basic elements available to people throughout Amhara Region – food.
Mr. Benegrew Walie, the Deputy Head of the Bureau of Capacity Building in Amhara, was one of the jury members at the Taste of Amhara competition and had great things to say about the success of the event and campaign.
According to him this campaign has created hope amongst entrepreneurs in the region, and with their success they create jobs. He sees this campaign as a tool which has strengthened the integration of industry with agriculture, the latter of which Amhara has relied upon throughout its history. By using agriculture to build industry, both sectors will be strengthened.
The Winners
The jury’s selection of the best product, t’eff cakes made by Habtamu Yeneabat, had the double pleasure of winning the audience award. Habtamu has been in the innovation business for 2 years now, developing cakes using flour from t’eff, a grain traditionally only used to make injera (the staple food of Ethiopia). The more than 5,000% increase in capital that Habtamu has realized in the two years since he first developed his new product should be enough to convince anyone that being innovative with food is an excellent way to increase business. In addition, Habtamu has been able to utilize his success to employ 17 people in his business – that’s 17 people that would not have had jobs had it not been for Habtamu’s innovation.
Habtamu may be the winner of the Taste of Amhara, but in reality all of the participants are winners. They have successfully developed innovative products which add value to locally available raw materials which will increase their profits. It does not stop with the participants either, all of the people of Amhara can be considered winners of the campaign as the entrepreneurs selling them food products will now be paying more attention to safety and providing new products which are properly packaged and labeled. While the campaign may be officially over, it can be assured that it and its messages will be topics of conversation in Amhara for a good time to come.