Business Description
ICOSEED Enterprises Limited is an enterprise registered in 2015. It focuses on extracting banana fiber for sale and for making beautiful and unique handicrafts like bags, clutch purses, table mats and wall hangings for local and international markets. It is located in Kirinyaga County.
Problem/Solution
ICOSEED Enterprises realized that sisal products like bags, mats, batiks and wall hangings are becoming rare and expensive in Kenya. Most of these products which are in high demand by the tourists and middle class working and business women offer a lucrative source of income. To fill the gap of shortage of sisal fiber, ICOSEED Enterprises sought to explore the banana fiber to make unique products made from banana pseudo stem extracts (fiber).
Products/Service
ICOSEED extracts banana fiber and dries it to produce various marketable products including bags, purses, table mats and wall hangings. These products are unique, beautiful fashionable, and affordable.
Traction to Date
To date, ICOSEED has provided alternative source of income to over 400 farmers yearly and has created more than 100 jobs in extraction and transportation of fibers. It also has a working station where the products are made. ICOSEED seeks to increase number of famers supplying banana stems from 400 to 9,000 in 2018 and add more mobile fiber extractors.