Valens Ruhorimbere, a 29-year-old from Gatsibo District, has been transforming pumpkins in his community into valuable products, including bread, donuts, and cakes. He also processes pumpkin seeds into flour, which is used to make porridge.
Starting with a capital of Frw 200,000 in 2020, Ruhorimbere’s business has flourished, and he now owns an agro-processing plant worth Frw 200 million.
The plant,Iwacu Bakery Solution, was established after Ruhorimbere conducted research on pumpkins and realized they could contribute to fighting diabetes, which is often caused by consuming industrially processed foods high in added sugars.
The idea to add value to pumpkins came during his time at University of Rwanda (UR), where he saved money from his scholarship to fund his project.
After graduating with a degree in Food Science and Technology, Ruhorimbere researched pumpkins and even wrote a book on the topic.
He realized he could turn this research into a business that would contribute to combating diabetes in Rwanda, as his pumpkin bread, donuts, and cakes do not contain added sugar.
He explained, “I realized that using pumpkins reduces sugar usage by 60% in industrial production.”
Ruhorimbere drew inspiration from the country’s health authorities, who have regularly reported a high number of diabetes cases due to the added sugars in factory-made products.
Although he started with limited capital, he wrote his project proposal so well that anyone considering supporting him saw its potential.
In 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ruhorimbere began producing bread and donuts from pumpkins, using basic home equipment like ordinary cooking pans.
His venture aligned with the abundance of pumpkins in his area, where much of the produce was going to waste, prompting him to think about how to turn it into a profitable business for local farmers.
Today, he collaborates with local pumpkin farmers who deliver their produce to his plant.
What further fueled his passion to add value to pumpkins was a neighbor who had been suffering from diabetes for 10 years and loved bread and donuts but had to stop eating them due to the added sugar.
He said, “There was a neighbor who had been suffering from diabetes for 10 years, always telling me how much he loved bread and donuts but couldn’t eat them anymore. I thought it would be great if I could make these items in a way that he could consume them without the dangers of sugar.”
This idea marked the beginning of his project. Using home equipment and his scholarship funds, Ruhorimbere started small with the goal of bringing change to society.
Now, he owns the building housing the factory, Iwacu Bakery Solution, and the machines he uses. He has provided permanent jobs for 16 employees and temporary ones for 7 others.
In addition, the factory offers training, particularly for youth who dropped out of school and people with disabilities, helping them acquire skills to either start their own businesses or gain employment.
Ruhorimbere is among the top 10 youth with great business ideas who recently received awards from Imbuto Foundation in the second edition of the Imali Agribusiness Challenge.
This competition helps youth with agriculture-related projects access funds and knowledge to grow their businesses.
Along with his fellow awardees, Ruhorimbere received Frw 10 million, which he plans to use to expand his business, fulfilling his dream of bringing positive change to the Rwandan community.
