How Hadija Jabiri built agribusiness empire

WHEN Hadija Jabiri first registered her company while studying Business Administration at St Augustine University in Mwanza, few could have imagined that the young student would one day build one of Tanzania’s leading horticultural businesses.

Armed with less than 788,000/- , a dream and determination, she transformed a small farming venture into a company supplying fresh produce to domestic and international markets while creating opportunities for thousands of smallholder farmers.

Today, Hadija is the Founder and Managing Director of GBRI Business Solutions, a company specialising in the production, processing and marketing of premium fresh fruits and vegetables.

From exporting avocados to Europe and India to processing avocado oil and supporting more than 10,000 farmers, her story demonstrates that success often begins with a willingness to adapt when circumstances change.

Interestingly, farming was never part of Hadija’s childhood ambitions.

Raised in a middle-income family, she watched her father work as a government employee while her mother managed a small business. Although her mother’s entrepreneurial spirit inspired her, agriculture was not part of the family’s daily life.

“I never imagined I would one day become a farmer,” she has said. “I entered agribusiness because I saw a business opportunity. Over the years, seeing the impact it has had on communities has made me truly love what I do.”

Her entrepreneurial journey did not begin with vegetables. Instead, she initially dreamed of manufacturing soap. While still at university, she started producing small batches from home, believing soap was a product with steady demand and good business potential.

However, expanding production required nearly 262.6mil/- to build a factory. Without collateral or financial backing, banks were unwilling to provide the loan she needed.

Rather than abandoning her dream of entrepreneurship altogether, Hadija looked for another business requiring less capital. She found the answer in horticulture.

With less than 300 US dollars, she secured two acres of an eight-acre farm in Iringa. The landowners agreed to let her pay for the remaining six acres over two years, giving her the chance to start small while gradually expanding.

One decision made early in her business would later become one of her greatest strengths. Instead of planting crops and hoping to find buyers, she secured customers before planting. Supermarkets agreed to purchase tomatoes, onions and capsicums, allowing her to produce according to confirmed demand and reduce business risk.

As orders increased, her own farm could no longer meet demand. She began working with neighbouring smallholder farmers, purchasing their produce and integrating them into her growing business. What started as a necessity eventually became a defining feature of GBRI’s business model.

Today, the company operates an extensive out-grower programme that provides farmers with technical training, extension services, input loans, handling equipment and transport. These services help farmers meet international quality standards while giving them reliable access to formal markets.

The company now sources produce from thousands of contracted farmers across Tanzania, creating a value chain that benefits both producers and consumers.

GBRI’s integrated business model also ensures that vendors receive fresh produce with a longer shelf life while using digital systems that simplify ordering, cashless payments and transaction records. These records help traders build financial histories that can improve access to credit.

Although the domestic market provided a strong foundation, Hadija recognised that international markets offered even greater opportunities.

Breaking into Europe, however, was far from easy.

Exporting fresh produce required international certifications, cold storage facilities and refrigerated transport, all of which demanded substantial investment.

Understanding that funding often comes through relationships, Hadija intentionally expanded her professional network. She sought mentors who could help open doors, including former Iringa Regional Commissioner Amina Masenza.

After visiting Hadija’s farm, Masenza introduced her to national leaders, including then Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

A video of one such visit eventually reached a Canadian development organisation, which later provided funding that enabled GBRI to invest in vital infrastructure, including cold rooms, a packhouse and refrigerated transport.

The organisation later provided GBRI with about US$109,000 (approximately 286mil/-) in funding. The investment enabled the company to establish a packhouse, cold rooms and refrigerated transport for its export business.”

Finding overseas buyers required another creative approach. “We Googled our way to Europe,” Hadija has recalled.

Using online platforms that connected buyers and sellers of horticultural produce, GBRI secured its first international customer in Ireland before steadily expanding its client base across Europe through trade exhibitions and support from Tanzanian embassies.

Like many businesses worldwide, GBRI faced major disruption during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rising airfreight costs made vegetable exports unprofitable, forcing the company to suspend export operations for several months. Instead of giving up, Hadija adapted once again.

She converted the company’s cold rooms into banana ripening facilities and shifted focus to supplying the local market. As global trade gradually recovered, GBRI identified avocados as a more sustainable export because they could be transported by sea at lower cost.

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The company has since expanded significantly in avocado production and now also processes avocado oil from fruits that do not meet export standards, reducing waste while creating additional revenue.

Despite her achievements, Hadija says the greatest reward is not international recognition or business growth.

Instead, she finds fulfilment in seeing smallholder farmers improve their productivity, earn better incomes and access dependable markets. She is equally proud that her company creates employment opportunities for hundreds of young people.

Looking ahead, her vision extends beyond exporting fresh produce. She hopes GBRI will expand into more cities, strengthen its cold-chain infrastructure, enter new markets in the Middle East and continue building businesses across the agricultural value chain.

For women considering entrepreneurship, Hadija offers simple but powerful advice: believe in yourself, even when others do not. She encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to focus less on proving critics wrong and more on building successful businesses whose results speak for themselves.

Her journey proves that great enterprises are not always built with abundant capital. Sometimes they begin with a clear vision, resilience in the face of setbacks and the courage to keep adapting until opportunities become reality.