Keroche boss Tabitha Karanja wins continental award

Keroche Breweries CEO Tabitha Karanja

Keroche Breweries CEO Tabitha Karanja has been named the winner of the Transformational Business Award 2015, and her firm voted Africa’s Best Growing Company.

The regional awards were presented to Mrs Karanja during the ninth edition of the African Leadership Network Summit in Marrakesh, Morocco, last week.

“In spite of any challenges we face, Kenyans keep hope alive of a better tomorrow,” said Karanja

“This award inspires me to do better, to think bigger, and to mentor and give a hand-up to more young entrepreneurs so that we can all build Africa.”

The Transformational Business Award is given to a notable businesses in Africa with revenues higher than $50 million (Sh5.1 billion) that have had a significant socio-economic impact in the continent.

Last year, Karanja won the Forbes African Business Woman of the Year Award, a gong that gave international prominence to her brewery business.

Ahead of the gala to celebrate Africa’s leading business people, Karanja met eight of Africa’s most promising early-stage entrepreneurs who had been shortlisted to present their company pitches at the ALN Ventures Dragon’s Den session where she was a judge.

Eric Muthomi, the chief executive and founder of Stawi Foods, was Kenya’s representative among the eight. His business buys green bananas from smallholder farmers, and processes this into nutritious banana flour that makes baby food, porridge, baked foods and soup.