Agribusinesses across Africa face numerous logistical challenges, especially when dealing with high-demand products like honey. Swahili Honey, one of Tanzania’s major honey suppliers, processes over 500 tons of honey annually, serving the East African and international markets. Managing this large-scale operation requires a keen focus on both efficiency and transparency, particularly in tracking the resources they invest in, such as the buckets they provide to farmers for honey collection.
Without a proper traceability system, tracking the distribution and return of buckets can become a logistical nightmare. Buckets may go missing, get damaged, or remain unaccounted for, translating into significant financial losses for the company. To address this, Swahili Honey implemented a bar code system managed by eProd to track the entire lifecycle of their buckets—ensuring accountability from the moment a bucket is issued to a farmer until it’s returned.
Streamlining Bucket Management through eProd’s Barcode System
Swahili Honey’s partnership with eProd, through the Digitalization Challenge managed by eProd with co-funding from Rabo Foundation, has transformed how the company manages its assets and ensures proper traceability, starting with the humble bucket. When a bucket is issued to a farmer, a unique barcode is scanned and logged into the eProd system, linking the bucket to the specific farmer. This real-time record allows Swahili Honey to keep accurate stock levels and ensures that each bucket can be tracked from the moment it leaves the warehouse to when it’s returned.
“This level of traceability has significantly reduced our losses,” says Joseph Kadendula, Founder and CEO at Swahili Honey. “With eProd, we can ensure that every bucket is accounted for, which has helped us cut down on missing inventory and improve our overall efficiency. It’s a game changer for us.”
This level of traceability has mitigated potential losses and provided an organized, reliable method for managing their bucket inventory. With eProd’s system in place, the company can confirm if and when a bucket is returned, ensuring stock levels are consistently updated.
Data-Driven Traceability and Accountability
Beyond bucket management, Swahili Honey leverages eProd’s robust data management features to capture other critical information. Farmer and field details, certification data, and geographical information are also stored and managed in the eProd system. This end-to-end traceability enhances transparency and provides valuable insights into the supply chain, allowing Swahili Honey to track its product with precision and mitigate risks along the way.
With this holistic approach, Swahili Honey can focus on what matters most: producing high-quality honey for local and regional markets while maintaining trust and accountability with their farming partners.
Looking Ahead
As Swahili Honey continues to grow its operations, the digitalization provided by eProd’s system will remain essential in ensuring both efficiency and sustainability. By reducing bucket losses and maintaining comprehensive data on their farmers, Swahili Honey sets a new standard in honey production and resource management in East Africa.
Would you like to learn more about how eProd can assist your business? Contact us at info@eprod-solutions.com for more details.