Biz Lounge: From social media trend to thriving dragon fruit business
Mariane Macharia holds dragon fruit from her farm.
About 12 kilometres from Nakuru town, in a three-quarter-acre orchard, siblings Mariane and Denis Macharia grow 1,000 dragon fruit trees.
Their thriving agribusiness grew out of recognising the growing popularity of dragon fruit on social media.
Mariane, co-founder of Dragon Farm Cultures, shares how they turned their farming idea into a success.
"I first came across dragon fruit on social media, where there was a lot of excitement about its health benefits. I shared the idea with my brother and he was immediately on board," Mariane recalls.
A trained business and IT professional, Mariane explains that her decision to venture into dragon fruit farming was driven not only by the health benefits of the fruit, but also by its promising financial potential.
In addition, the fruit tree can live for up to 50 years, making it a long-term investment.
With an initial investment of Sh800,000, the siblings bought 1,000 seedlings and prepared the land for planting. However, their journey faced early challenges.
Dragon Fruit cuttings at Dragon Farm Cultures farm in Lanet.
"We were excited to start, but because dragon fruit requires minimal water, we relied on a bowser to provide water. Unfortunately, the salty nature of Nakuru's water caused the seedlings to dry up," she recalls.
Undeterred, they received support from their parents and bought another 1,000 cuttings after doing their research to avoid repeating their earlier mistakes.
"We lost the first batch, which made us re-evaluate. This time we made sure we learned from our mistakes," Mariane explains.
After a year and a half, the trees started producing fruit, and in 2023 they made their first sale to local businessmen.
Dragon Farm Cultures farm in Lanet.
However, the dragon fruit market came with its own challenges, such as price fluctuations and the fruit's short shelf life of just two weeks. To adapt, the siblings decided to explore other means of value-addition.
Their company now produces dragon fruit jam, yoghurt and juice, and they are working on introducing dragon fruit wine. This shift has allowed them to expand their team to 10 people.
"We ventured into value addition to ensure that the business remained sustainable even when market prices fluctuated. It also allowed us to reduce waste from excess fruit," Mariane explains.
Dragon Fruit yoghurt and juice.
Mariane is proud of her achievements, noting that they now earn Sh200,000 a month from fruit sales, value-added products and the sale of plant cuttings. She envisions creating a lasting family legacy through the business.
Looking ahead, Mariane plans to expand her orchard and tap into the export market, while continuing to diversify her range of value-added products.