That question became the starting point for Kabizu Business Group Ltd, a venture Bizumuremyi first established in Ostend, Belgium, in 2020 before bringing the business to Rwanda.
Today, his agricultural processing plant in Nyamiyaga Sector, Kamonyi District, turns locally produced crops into a range of food products, some of which have found their way to markets in the United States, Canada and Belgium.
For Bizumuremyi, the journey from Belgium to Kamonyi is not only about building a business. It is also about turning experience gained in the diaspora into opportunities for farmers and communities back home.
From promoting Rwandan products to creating his own brand
Bizumuremyi, who lives in Ostend, was involved in the Rwandan diaspora community in Belgium and helped establish the Diaspora of the North Sea.
He was also part of a “Made in Rwanda” initiative that brought products from Rwanda to Belgium, including coffee, tea, food products and handicrafts.
“We would bring different products from Rwanda and sell them in a shop. They included Kinazi and other products, as well as artisanal works from Rwanda,” he said.
The experience exposed him to both the demand for Rwandan products abroad and the challenges of getting them to consumers at the right time and in the right form.
From 2010 to 2017, Bizumuremyi also worked with entrepreneurs in different sectors in Belgium, building experience that later influenced his decision to establish his own business.
“I looked at products that would reach me in Belgium and services that would not reach me at the right time. This pushed me to make my own brand, Kabizu Business Group,” he said.
The company initially focused on coffee, with the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) supporting the repackaging of coffee for the Belgian market. He later bought a machine to package tea sourced from Rwanda Mountain Tea, Karongi Tea Factory and others, selling it under the Akabizu brand.
As customers began asking for more products, the business gradually expanded into agricultural value addition.
“Later, clients requested me to expand into other products. That is how we had the idea of adding value to agricultural products from Rwanda,” he said.
Today, the plant processes cassava, maize, sorghum, millet and soybean flour, as well as baby food, cooking oil, processed cassava leaves, commonly known as isombe, and peanut-based products.
Turning farm produce into more value
For Bizumuremyi, agro-processing offers opportunities beyond producing finished food products.
He points to cassava as an example. While the crop has traditionally been processed mainly into flour, the company has also found ways to use cassava residues to produce animal-feed ingredients.
“The residues would be wasted, but under the project we started to produce animal feed,” he said.
He believes such value addition can create additional income for farmers while contributing to solutions for shortages of animal feed and cereals.
The company works with cooperatives and smallholder farmers supplying cassava, sorghum, wheat, rice, maize and other crops.
Bizumuremyi encourages farmers to organise themselves in cooperatives so they can consolidate production, while also accepting produce from individual farmers.
“We are here to provide a market for farmers in this province,” he said.
He wants farming to be seen as a profitable business rather than an activity limited to small-scale production.
“It should be a lucrative business that helps people to develop and enables them to see the added value of their produce,” he said.
A business rooted in Kamonyi
Choosing Nyamiyaga as the location for the plant was also intended to bring the business closer to farmers and contribute to the surrounding community.
The company employs people living near the plant, with specialised positions filled by workers from elsewhere when necessary.
Bizumuremyi says the business also works with local authorities, participates in community activities and exhibitions, and contributes to local initiatives.
He says the location has another benefit: giving Kamonyi greater visibility as the products reach international markets.
“When we export, we indicate the address of where they are processed on the labels. For me, this also adds to the visibility of Kamonyi,” he said.
Looking beyond Rwanda
The company initially exported to Belgium but has since expanded its reach, particularly to the United States, where Bizumuremyi says its products are sold in four states, including Michigan, New York and Kentucky. Canada and Belgium are also among its markets.
Looking ahead, he wants to expand the business across Africa and raise the standards of the processing facility to international levels.
“In line with the government’s vision, we also have a vision of expanding to Africa and raising the standards of the manufacturing facility to operate at an international level,” he said.
His message to other members of the diaspora is straightforward: Rwanda offers opportunities for those willing to return and invest.
“I am part of the diaspora members who returned to Rwanda and invested, so as not to be left behind. The time is now, and it is possible to do it,” he said.
Bizumuremyi also commended Rwanda’s leadership under President Paul Kagame, saying the country’s security and conducive investment environment make it easier for investors to establish and grow their businesses.
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