Viola Maina, the visionary founder of Gooseberry Delight, stepped away from formal employment with a dream to reshape her community in Uasin Gishu through entrepreneurship. Her transformative journey commenced in 2015, with an exhibition visit spotlighting underutilized fruits, vegetables, and cereals. There, the neglected gooseberries sparked her curiosity and set her on a path of innovation. Viola envisioned a future where these overlooked fruits could become a source of nourishment and delight, bringing positive change to her community.
By 2019 and 2020, Viola’s dedication bore fruit as farmers trained by her began to see the fruits of their labor. In 2021, a significant milestone was achieved when Gooseberry Delight received certification to produce jam, sauce, and dry fruits. The journey saw a transition from a home-based venture to being incubated by KIRDI, despite the formidable challenges posed by Covid-19. The pandemic indeed left its mark, but the MSME Resilience program became the beacon of hope and learning, enabling Viola and her team to revamp and rebuild the business.
Through the program, Viola and her dynamic team acquired crucial knowledge about product pricing, record-keeping, inventory management, and business plan development. The embrace of digital marketing propelled Gooseberry Delight further, amplifying its reach and impact. Viola’s vision is expanding, with plans underway to launch an eCommerce platform, aiming to share the delight of gooseberries with a broader audience and to continue her mission to impact lives and communities far and wide.