African Entrepreneurs - 50 Success Stories by Iwa Adetunji

Author:Iwa Adetunji
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Entrepreneurship, business, African entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial stories, African business, business profiles, Africa
ISBN: 9781787050921
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited 2017
Published: 2017-06-08T00:00:00+00:00

Eugenie Nyirambonigaba

Home Appetite Kigali

Eugenie Nyirambonigaba is the Founder of Home Appétit in Rwanda. She is the country’s premier female head chef specializing in home catering for events and families of both Rwandese and expats.

This entrepreneur has over a decade of professional experience working as a chef. Her passion for food as well as her team’s excellent customer service skills have led to recognition and high praise from clients.

Though known as Home Appétit, the company offer diverse services in bespoke cooking classes, private Chef Services, dinner parties & events, whole food diets and corporate affairs and catering.

Eugenie Nyirambonigaba: Muraho! That’s how we say hello in Rwanda, in Kinyarwanda our national language.

The Interview:

How did the idea for your business come about?

I worked as housekeeper for many years, and wanted more than anything to become a real businesswoman. One day, someone asked me to share my dreams - this moment changed my life. I’d never been asked that before! I loved cooking and wanted more than anything to learn recipes from around the world and share them with others. So I enrolled in culinary school with the help of a sponsor. We noticed a gap in the market - many people in Rwanda have hired help to cook for their families, but there are no norms and standards to ensure quality, and food safety. My company provides this training to local staff. We also come to your home and cook for you, either with healthy meals for your family, or for a one-off event. Then the name was easy “Home Appetit!”

Give the readers some insight into your business?

The business is growing - and we have two objectives: (1) providing delicious and unique food to clients in Kigali, and (2) mentoring young girls to give them the skills needed to enter the culinary industry. We specialise in Asian food, as this is unique to Kigali and my favourite is Vietnamese! But we’ve learned recipes and styles from around the world. We specialise in focussing on healthy food, and apply nutrition principles to our work.

In your opinion, what do you consider as some of the top skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

Starting your own business is challenging, especially in a country where entrepreneurial skills training is not always available. I’ve had to learn everything from the ground up, and there are some key skills your need. The most important are persistence and patience. Persistence because you can’t know everything at once - it takes time to learn how to market yourself, how to speak to clients, how to get a website, how to get business cards. It also takes patience - I wanted everything at once. This is impossible. It’s best to sit down and make a business plan - think about each element of your business and write it down. Make big goals, and then smaller goals. Lastly, build a team and be a leader - inspire others with your business goal and make them feel a part of it. Find people with skills in accounting/finance, and in web/communications.

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