Evans Killi, 33

Founder

Bufallo Millers

Evans is giving big maize millers a run for their money. His company, Buffalo Millers, may have started as a solution to weed out cartels who offer farmers low prices for their produce, but it has steadily grown into a factory with a capacity to mill over 100 tonnes of maize a day and 50 tonnes of wheat. Now, it has its eyes firmly set on the export market. “When I was growing up, I used to see my father struggle with selling his maize. I set up a goal to help my father by putting up my own milling plant and do value addition,” he says.

Evans studied Mechanical and Production Engineering at Moi University, a course he picked to gain knowhow in running a factory. “I did all my internships in flour milling industries to further sharpen my skills in milling,” he recalls. “After completing my studies, I identified a good supplier of milling equipment and with a small loan from my father, I started milling.”

What takes up most of his time is “constantly building and improving the production system and quality of our products’’ to compete with the top millers. His biggest headache now is managing the rapid growth and expansion the business underwent within a short period. His advice to young entrepreneurs? “To succeed, you have to follow your dreams, do honest work.”

-Kevin Rotich