KCB has been at the forefront supporting MSMEs’ transition to sustainable business practises. The Bank has supported Highlands Creamers and Foods (HCF) Ltd in this transition. Commissioned in July 2017, HCF is a family-owned, but independently run dairy and food processing firm based in Nyansiongo, Nyamira County. “The purpose of the establishment of HCF was to give back to the community by creating employment opportunities in manufacturing. The company has employed a total of 350 people, of which 60% are women,” said Zipporah Ondari, HCF Human Resource Officer. Not only has the company created jobs, but also enhanced the infrastructure development through road construction (SDG 9 ). The road is crucial for the transportation of their milk and used by local farmers to transport their farm produce to the market.
HCF started by processing fresh and fermented milk and has grown to produce ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk by adopting more efficient processing equipment. There are plans to scale up production to make fermented milk and yoghurt, water processing and juice. To enhance production, the company installed advanced equipment: a steriliser processing 13,200 litres per hour, increasing production efficiency by 2.4%, thus helping the company save on costs and maximise profits.
The company took it upon itself to ensure waste is managed correctly through the construction of the wastewater treatment plant to ensure the environment is conserved, achieving SDG 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production and SDG 13 on Climate Action. All the wastewater generated is treated and released into their farm, where they have planted eucalyptus trees used for steam generation in their boilers. “We ensure that all the waste we dispose into our farm is properly treated to meet NEMA requirements,” said Thomas Mutuku, who is in charge of maintenance at HCF.
To improve efficiency on the plant’s construction, HCF leveraged a design that allowed the use of natural lighting. To achieve this, big windows and polycarbonate sheets were installed to enhance natural lighting. Solar panels were also installed to aid the transition to clean energy and reduce electricity consumption in line with SDG 12.
“Since we are continuously growing and expanding, KCB has been our longest supporter since we started operations. To date, the bank has provided financial CASE STUDY production, the company installed advanced equipment: a steriliser processing 13,200 litres per hour, increasing production efficiency by 2.4%, thus helping the company save on costs and maximise profits. The company took it upon itself to ensure waste is managed correctly through the construction of the wastewater treatment plant to ensure the environment is conserved, achieving SDG 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production and SDG 13 on Climate Action. All the wastewater generated is treated and released into their farm, where they have planted eucalyptus trees used for steam generation in their boilers. “We ensure that all the waste support to facilitate our transition towards efficiency and sustainable growth,” said Nelson Bichanga, the chairman and owner of HCF.
Additionally, the Bank has provided financial advice to the company to enable it to manage its resources better.
On growth and expansion, the company is looking to buy milk directly from about 1,000 dairy farmers in the region and growing to be the largest milk processer in Nyamira and Kisii counties in the next five years. The company looks forward to working with KCB to train local farmers on how to transition to zero-grazing.
