New tech to cut post-harvest losses for fruit farmers

Local apple producer and exporter Wambugu Apples has now ventured into value addition.

This move aims to address post-harvest losses as the firm seeks higher returns after years of exclusively dealing in raw fruits.

Cate Wambugu, co-director of Wambugu Apples, recalls how the journey into value addition began with a trip to Berlin, Germany, where they explored machinery that could help in the production of apple juice locally.

“While there, we remembered that apple juice is already available in Kenya, so we needed to do something different. We discovered a machine for freeze-drying and decided, this is what we’re going to do,” she explains during the recent launch of Wambugu Apples' freeze-dried fruits range in Nairobi.

Back home, Cate informed her father, Peter Wambugu, the founder of the renowned Wambugu model farms, and the entire family about the machine and her vision to invest in an innovation that would revolutionise value addition, not just in Kenya but across Africa.

Mr Wambugu founded the firm with 12 apple seedlings in 1985. Today, it has over three million seedlings in farms across the country, with plans to raise the number to 10 million. The firm acquired the machine late last year and began using it in January this year. Cate explains: “We started with apples but soon realised the machine could do more since there are many other fruits that need processing. Today, we process mangoes, strawberries, dragon fruits and bananas.”

She says the technology is a game changer, especially for dragon fruits, with the resulting powder being used in yoghurt. The firm is working on launching a yoghurt infused with dragon fruit flavour. The powder can also be used for cake flavouring. The freeze-dried fruits – whether fruit pieces or powder – are as nutritious as fresh fruit since they contain no added sugar, preservatives or chemicals.

Unlike juice, which has a short shelf life, the powder can be stored longer and even given directly to children.

Matthew Njenga, the managing director of Wambugu Apples, revealed the firm is the first to employ the use of freeze-dried technology in Kenya and Africa, with a majority of processors relying on dehydration or solar-drying of their fruits.