Tabitha Karanja: I take a Malt daily

Q: What is the most expensive gift has anybody ever given you?

My daughter Tecra bought me a pen from Monteblanc – Meisterstuck.

Q. Men fear engaging successful women like you. Who is the lucky man and where did you meet?

The good thing is that Mr Karanja and I started this together. He has supported me throughout and all my growth has happened with him by my side always.

We have been blessed with four children, two boys and two girls who are all now grown up.

Q. How was your first date with your husband?

During our times we could only communicate through letters. We didn’t have the kind of technology we have now.

In fact if you were dating anyone, the guy would come to the lady’s home for proper introductions. I wish we could go back to those days with today’s generation of youths.

Q:You are always very busy running your company; do you find time to cook for your family? What meals do you like cooking?

My family always comes first. I always create time for them. Being a wife and a mum I always cook for them. I have so many recipes but I can safely say they all love the traditional foods more than anything else.

Q:  If you were to address the women of Nyeri and Murang’a whose husbands have become enslaved by cheap liquor, what would you advise them?

I must say it is quite unfortunate that in the 21st century we still have the problem of illicit brews. These are young men, husbands and sons who are being robbed of their productivity because of illicit brews.

It is my hope and belief that the government will take this menace seriously and work with institutions like Nacada to drive these brews out of the market.

My advice would be to ask the women not to give up on the fight to drive out these brews. These are Kenyans who have a right to consume safe and genuine alcoholic products that if consumed in moderation will generate a culture of responsible drinking thereby enhancing their productivity.

Q:  There is no doubt you are a resilient woman. What drives you?

I have always been driven by the need to prove that African women have what it takes to get things done and at the right time.

Q: What keeps you awake at night?

For me the customer is always king. They are and always will be my number one priority. I am up at night wanting to make sure they are happy and satisfied with the products we produce for them.

Q:  Have you ever entertained the thought that the Mututho laws were written with Keroche in mind?

Not really. I would have, however, wished Mr John Mututho had consulted the stakeholders within the industry before the laws were put into place. As the players in the industry we were going to be directly affected, he should have given us a chance to give our thoughts on the same.

Q: What is your beef with Mututho?

In all honesty I have absolutely nothing against Mr Mututho, or beef as you call it. He is my former MP. If he has one with me I am not aware.

Q: Where did you get the idea and the passion to venture where few women before you dared and how did you overcome gender stereotypes?

I have always wanted to venture into manufacturing. We conducted research and with that we discovered a gap in the alcohol market. This inspired me to fill this gap. This was because at the time there was only one player in the market.

Q: What motivated you to venture into the beer industry, a fairly masculine sector?

I felt it was about time someone broke this myth that there are certain jobs or industries only meant for men to venture into. I asked myself why can’t I be the one exception? I felt I was capable to break the barriers. I most certainly did break them and will continue to do so.

Q: How often do you drink in case you do?

I take at least one Summit Malt after dinner. It is the best.

Q: What goes on in your mind whenever there are reports of people dying after consuming illicit brews?

I feel very sad when I see this. I think of where we are at the moment in terms of development and I know we have the technology to offer high quality products. I keep asking myself, why should my fellow Kenyans die in that manner.

Q: What is your favourite book?

Oh, I read quite a lot and with every book I learn something new, so it is quite hard to pick one. My advice, however, would be read as much as you can, you can learn quite a lot from it.

Q: Women in Kenya are rare in million dollar start-ups, how do you feel now that you have paved the way for many other female entrepreneurs?

Well, it’s not only women but men as well. I am happy because I have proved that when you take risks, and calculated ones at that, you can build that million dollar start-up. This can, however, only be done when one chooses to get out of their comfort zones.

Q:  East African Breweries has been in the business for 80 years and you broke the face of an entrenched monopoly. How do you relate with  EABL?

In the beginning it was hard to penetrate what at the time was a monopolistic market but we managed to break it. There is, however, absolutely no war between Keroche & EABL.

Q: How did you feel when your skills were recognised in 2010 with an award from the then president of Kenya?

I was very happy and elated with the recognition. After working hard for all those years it felt great to be recognised for it. It motivated me to move to even greater heights.

Q: Given an opportunity, would you venture into politics?

No, I think this country has more than enough politicians. What we need is more entrepreneurs and with the launch of the Keroche Foundation our hope is to build job creators and not job seekers.

This will improve not only the economy of the country by building high quality brands but also the economies of individual Kenyans as well.

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