10.10.2023
Camelcino – a tradition with a future
Camel milk for cappuccinos – climate-smart business ideas like this require capital. In Kenya, GIZ brings small businesses and investors together.
At cafes in Nairobi, there is something special on the menu: the camelcino. Camel milk, originally a traditional drink in rural regions, is enjoying new popularity – in Kenya and beyond. The trend offers opportunities for agriculture, which is facing increasing pressure due to climate change. Unlike cattle or sheep, camels keep can keep producing milk even during prolonged periods of drought.
Jama Warsame is the CEO of White Gold Camel Milk. To fully harness the potential of its business model, the start-up must invest in refrigeration and transport. And to do so, it needs investors from the private sector. This is where the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH comes in. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ brings investors and small and medium enterprises with climate-smart ideas together.
Achieving more together
Networking with investors is only part of the work. At investment boot camps, experts advise companies like White Gold Camel Milk on business management and marketing and prepare them for meetings with potential investors. As a result, participants have already attracted six-figure investments from the private sector, and not just in Kenya. Worldwide, 34 companies have benefited from the investment boot camps.
For Jama Warsame, the opportunity to share experiences with like-minded businesses is particularly valuable. This allowed him to develop his business plan further and learn how to attract investors. He has big plans: ‘We want to procure a refrigerated vehicle and set up a milk collection point.’ He hopes that this will increase milk production and consolidate the fragmented market. In the long term, it should also help small farmers increase their profits.
The business model is promising. If enough money is invested in the right places in the market, camel milk could become a genuine alternative to cow milk in Kenya and support farmers in adapting to climate-related weather extremes.