YYTZ Agro-Processing

By Fahad Awadh, founder of Tanzanian cashew nut company YYTZ Agro-processing Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel, outlined when he described what happens to businesses in tumultuous times: “Bad companies are destroyed by crisis. Good companies survive them. Great companies are improved by them.” Great individuals, like great companies, find a way to transform weakness into strength. They can take what should have held them back and use it to move forward.

Some African food companies feature QR codes on their packaging, which when scanned with a smartphone reveals information about the product’s origin. James Torvaney talks to two entrepreneurs to learn about the commercial impact of these initiatives. Historically, many consumers haven’t thought too much about where their food came from, and information about its origin was opaque and difficult to track.

After emigrating to Canada as a child, Tanzanian cashew nut entrepreneur Fahad Awadh got used to breaking established conventions. On weekday mornings, he was picked up in a glossy yellow bus like most 11-year-olds in the Toronto area. But instead of just following the national curriculum, Awadh was recruited into a unique business and technology programme for schoolchildren. He was placed into courses on entrepreneurship, accounting, marketing, design and technology.