Here is the story of a young Zimbabwean who, due to poor pay, decided to quit his job at a local sugar company and started his own health food company. His current intentions are to expand the business to regional markets, with Mozambique among the main ones.

Original title: "Zimbabwean health food business exporting to Zambia; eyes broader region"

In 2017, Lesley Marange, a young food scientist from Zimbabwe, quit his job at a local sugar processing company, citing poor pay. Today he is the founder and CEO of Glytime Foods, a healthy food production company that already employs over 40 employees.

"I wanted to change the way things were, thinking outside the box...just revolutionizing the way Zimbabweans think about food and their health," he said, speaking at his office in Workington, Harare, "That's how and why Glytime Foods was born."

Marange and his wife Talent Marange run the company, which produces food products including vegan foods, a wide range of cereals and healthy snacks, as well as honey. And although relatively new, Glytime Foods already enjoys a good market share.

"The reception of our products has been good. We have a great selling space. Our product is up there competing with foreign brands. Even now we have some private equity deals that are in the works, but unfortunately I can't reveal the details at this time until they have been finalized," said Marange.

When he started in 2018, the 33-year-old had the idea and the ambition, but no capital. So he turned to his older brother for a $2,700 loan, which he added to his savings and started Glytime Foods. However, food scientist Talent Marange did not quit formal employment at the time, as she had to support herself to fend for her family while her husband established the company.

"There was a change in lifestyle as we put all the little money we had into the business. We had to adapt, but I'll be honest: we never went to bed hungry," Talent Marange.

"We were running the whole operation from the cottage we were renting. We shared the room with our stock. It was the warehouse," added Lesley Marange.

For Marange, Glytime is more than a for-profit venture. He describes his business as a social enterprise. "It's not just the product that is different, but also the way we do our business. Looking at our structure, you will see that we are trying to support sustainability in the local value chain. We have established partnerships with about 3,000 local farmers to ensure they have access to markets," he said.

"We saw how non-governmental organizations and even the government usually start programs with local farmers in some communities, but in the end they leave them struggling to compete and access markets on their own. So this is the gap that we are trying to fill."

Glytime sources its raw materials directly from local farmers under its partnership with local growers. Marange explained that the scheme not only empowers local farmers but also ensures that Glytime has an uninterrupted supply of raw materials.

Tsitsi Sibanda, a honey producer, in a video posted on the company's website said, "We had difficulties accessing markets. We went for six months without buyers, but now, with the Glytime partnership, we have a guaranteed buyer."

But it hasn't always been easy to navigate for the family business: "Government bureaucracy is one of the most difficult challenges I have to deal with on a regular basis," Marange revealed.

However, Glytime Foods has set its sights on the export market. It is currently exporting to Zambia, is registered in Botswana's Special Economic Zone, and is finalizing contracts in countries including Mozambique and the DRC.

"We are working on certification to push our product into the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). In five years, we want Glytime Foods to be a brand that competes with the best in the world and gives real value to farmers through partnerships," Marange said. (howwemadeitinafrica)