In the heart of Tanzania, Hadija Jabiri has grown a thriving export business from humble beginnings—proving that vision and determination can transform even the smallest venture into a global enterprise.
Starting with under $300 and a dream, Jabiri launched her company, GBRI, as a young business student. Her first idea—soap manufacturing—faced funding hurdles, pushing her instead toward vegetable farming, where startup costs were lower and market demand was steady. With just two acres in Iringa, she began cultivating tomatoes, onions, and peppers, securing buyers even before planting.
Over time, GBRI expanded beyond its own fields, partnering with nearby smallholder farmers to meet growing demand. But local competition from cheaper imports pushed Jabiri to look outward—eventually breaking into European markets with specialty vegetables like sugar snap peas and French beans.
Despite logistical challenges and lack of capital, she leveraged mentorship and visibility to access her first external funding. Support from a Canadian development agency enabled investment in cold storage, a refrigerated truck, and export infrastructure under the EatFresh brand.
Jabiri’s ingenuity kept the business afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic, when she pivoted to selling ripened bananas locally. Post-pandemic, she relaunched with a new focus on avocados—sourced from over 10,000 farmers across Tanzania and even Burundi—shipped via sea freight to Europe and India.
Today, GBRI has also entered the avocado oil business, processing non-export-grade fruit for markets in Portugal and Spain. With over 40 employees and a wide farmer network, Jabiri sees GBRI’s future as a diversified agro-industrial group rooted in Tanzania’s land—and led by African innovation.
Her journey reflects a new generation of African entrepreneurship: resilient, export-minded, and deeply connected to community livelihoods.