She quickly acquired a good reputation among farmers for her professional approach and became famous for riding a motorbike around the muddy roads of Meru. Our project ended in 2003 but Alice continued to develop her business and now has two shops selling products to farmers, as well as providing quality clinical services to several hundred farmers at their farms.

When Sidai started in 2011, Dr Alice was eager to set up a franchise in Meru and now owns a branded livestock service centre. Her previous supplier problems are solved as she now deals with just one supplier – Sidai - rather than chasing many different companies.

She says: “The smart new branding indicates to customers that I offer a professional service. I am also able to buy a wider range of products through Sidai at better prices than I got before.”

More farmers helped

Since establishing her Sidai franchise, Dr Alice’s sales have increased. She has a business plan and has already seen improved service delivery through her own professional training and farmer training. The Sidai brand is promoted in Meru through a series of radio phone-in programmes, which has increased the number of customers coming to the five Sidai centres in Meru.

“Sidai has helped me organise farmer training, helping me reach many more farmers and increase my business. I am very happy I joined Sidai,” she says.

She looks forward to improving her knowledge through training in the franchise network, standardised operations, business skills development, and access to bigger markets.