The sweet story of award-winning Keroche Breweries CEO, Tabitha Karanja, is a real meaning of motivation, versatility, discipline and pushing the boundaries to become one of the most accomplished movers and shakers in the country’s business systems.
Born on August 26, 1964 as the first born in the family of 10, Tabitha fostered the yearning to achieve, make an imprint and make a way her children could follow.
In past interviews, Tabitha portrayed that her parents made barely enough to get schooling for every one of the 10 kids. Her mom was a farmer and her dad, a government driver.
Tabitha snatched the chance given to her and tan with it. She buckled down in her primary school education and got an admission at the exceptionally respected Bahati Girls Secondary School.
After passing her papers at the school, she joined the University of Nairobi where she pursued a degree in Business Administration.
Following six to seven months, Tabitha got some work at the Ministry of Tourism as an accounting clerk.
So extraordinary was her enterprising outlook, that she quit the place of employment after two years and chose to open a hardware business with her husband Joseph Karanja whom she had met over the span of her job with the government.
In 1997, they shut down the shop and chose to wander into the wine making business. With the locally accessible unrefined materials and a capital worth Ksh 500,000, the couple began their business.
“One day I felt that we really wanted to shift to full manufacturing, but I didn’t know which sector exactly. So we had to do a bit of research and know which direction to take,” Tabitha stated in a previous interview.
After making a presentation in the market, the couple noticed that the lower pay earners had been neglected by the players in the market then.
“So we thought; why don’t we come with a product that is hygienically produced, that meets international standards and was affordable?” recounted Tabitha.
Throughout their business, the couple additionally understood that the upper income earners didn’t have an assortment of beverages to look for. Subsequently, they concocted Summit Lager and Summit Malt.
“We were largely accepted in the market and after this, we started our expansion plans,” she added.
Challenges
The gutsy lady had at this point became well known. She was playing comparable to the investors in the country,the big Dogs of kenya.
This was not without its difficulties.
At the point when the company was just six years of age, bits of rumors started that her beverages were not healthy. In 2007, the organization had to close down after the government sanctioned weighty taxes on locally made wines.
Tabitha was asked to pay a tax debt of Ksh1.2 billion in 14 days however she figured out how to win the case in court.
Once more, in 2019, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) ordered the arrest of Tabitha and her husband over tax evasion.
“The audit established that Keroche Breweries Limited had evaded the payment of tax totaling Ksh14,451,836,375,” read a part of the statement by the DPP.
With hardly a pause in between, Tabitha reacted saying that no investigating officers had been sent at the distilleries. She added that it was a gross infringement, provocation and intimidation by the DPP.
Family
While as yet working with the Ministry of Tourism, Tabitha met her significant other Joseph Karanja.
Together, they are honored with four kids ; James Karanja, Anerlisa Muigai, Edward Muigai and the late Tecra muigai.
Awards
In 2010, Tabitha was honoured with a Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear for her endeavors in liberalizing the alcohol market by former president Mwai Kibaki.
Her brand has also gained international and continental recognition.
