{"id":229755,"date":"2025-10-21T16:50:35","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T16:50:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/229755\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T16:50:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T16:50:35","slug":"ethiopian-entrepreneur-gives-araba-minchs-forgotten-bananas-second-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/229755\/","title":{"rendered":"Ethiopian Entrepreneur Gives Araba Minch\u2019s Forgotten Bananas Second Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than a decade ago, Ephrem Debebe, a graduate of Haramaya University, traveled to Arba Minch for the first time. In the green lands of West Abaya, he was struck by a familiar yet overlooked sight: massive Giant Cavendish bananas left to rot in the fields. Too large for markets and too perishable to store, they stood unused.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when the idea first came to me,\u201d Ephrem recalls. \u201cWe realized we could give them a second life instead of letting them go to waste; we could turn them into something healthy, tasty, and convenient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Much of Arba Minch, in southern Ethiopia, particularly the West Abaya area, produces an abundance of bananas, including the Giant Cavendish and other large cultivars often referred to locally as wild or semi-wild varieties. However, because of their size, limited market demand, and short shelf life, many of these bananas are not utilized and go spoiled, especially where transportation and storage infrastructure are weak.<\/p>\n

Ephrem\u2019s realization didn\u2019t turn into a business overnight. For years, it remained an idea in search of a path. However, in May 2024, his long dream began to crystallize when he entered the Bruh Ethiopia Entrepreneurship Competition. His idea was to produce banana chips, a crispy snack made from thinly sliced bananas that are either deep-fried or dehydrated. \u00a0Out of 30,000 participants, his company, Efi-Lude, won a $5,000 grant, finally giving him the resources to bring the idea to life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since then, Efi-Lude produces Yummy Banana Chips, though still on a small scale. The company makes 10 to 20 kilograms a day using locally assembled slicing and frying machines, a process that\u2019s both slow and inefficient. The work, however, isn\u2019t easy. Says Eprem. \u201cTo get one kilogram of banana chips, we use up to five kilograms of bananas,\u201d Ephrem told Shega. \u201cThe machines waste a lot of raw material. Sometimes one out of four bananas doesn\u2019t fry properly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite investing around 200,000 Birr in stainless-steel equipment and an additional 400,000 Birr of his own savings for labor and other expenses, Ephrem Debebe\u2019s banana chip production remains low and inconsistent. He says locally made machinery wastes raw materials and limits output to just 10\u201320 kilograms per day.<\/p>\n

Still, customers who\u2019ve tried the banana chips appear to love them. \u201cEarly feedback has been encouraging,\u201d Ephrem told Shega. \u201cPeople love the natural taste and crunch, and they like that it\u2019s a healthier alternative to other fried snacks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Academic research bolsters his claim: Ethiopian consumers are willing to spend significantly more<\/a> on snacks that clearly offer health benefits, according to research conducted in the country\u2019s southern regions.<\/p>\n

Banana chips naturally have a long shelf life<\/a>, often lasting months without preservatives, making them convenient for long-distance travel or emergency food storage. That durability adds to their appeal in a market where refrigeration and packaging infrastructure remain limited.<\/p>\n

Banana chips are popular in southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America, where several prominent brands have established a strong market presence. In January of this year, Beyond Snack, an India-based, plant-based banana chip brand, successfully raised $8.3 million<\/a> in its Series A funding round. The global banana chips market stands at\u00a0<\/a> $1.5 billion in 2025 and is projected grow to $2.04 billion by 2030, driven by the popularity of fruit-based snacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"2_055b19aa-5d6b-470e-9174-7fcfa5ae4351.webp\"Kerala Chips, a popular Indian banana chip brand by Beyond Snack, is known for its premium banana chips made without artificial colors or flavors.<\/p>\n

Although the global outlook is promising for Efi-Lude, the local market poses unique challenges. In Ethiopia, banana chips may initially seem unfamiliar to consumers who are accustomed to eating bananas raw. Given the country\u2019s generally conservative eating habits, it may take time for the product to gain widespread acceptance even after mass production begins. Alongside Efi-Lude, other emerging local players such as Joy Banana are also entering the market.<\/p>\n

Ethiopia\u2019s snack market remains largely untapped. Beyond traditional bites like Dabo Kolo and Kolo, most shelf-ready snacks are imported, with limited local production.<\/p>\n

The chips market is dominated by a few suppliers like Sun Chips, produced by Senselet (PepsiCo\u2019s Ethiopian subsidiary), which uses potatoes as its base. But, given that most lie in the potato-based snack category, Ephrem sees a natural separation in sourcing: \u201cWe don\u2019t compete for the same raw materials,\u201d he says. By using wild banana, a resource largely wasted, Efi-Lude taps into a different value chain.<\/p>\n

Ephrem believes this sourcing difference gives his product both cost and narrative advantages: \u201cWe\u2019re turning what would have gone to waste into value.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also says that banana chips also bring a nutritional edge. Compared to potato chips, bananas offer higher fiber, potassium, and vitamins A and B6. \u00a0<\/p>\n

To expand production and meet demand, Efi-Lude is seeking a 17 million Birr loan through the Idea funding program, supported by the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia and the Development Bank of Ethiopia. The investment would allow the company to import new machinery and increase its production nearly 30 times more with an hourly production rate of 50 kilograms.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce we get the loan, we\u2019ll be ready for full operation by the end of this year,\u201d Ephrem says.<\/p>\n

Regulatory approval is another key step. The Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA) requires higher production volumes for certification, which the current setup cannot yet meet. \u201cWe\u2019re working to scale up as quickly as possible so we can meet the EFDA\u2019s standards and expand distribution,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Support from government partners has been crucial. The Ministry of Labor and Skills provided seed funding, Bruh competition, and essential training in production management, marketing, and entrepreneurship. Meanwhile, the Kirkos Sub-City Job Creation and Industry Expansion Office granted Efi-Lude a small production shed and retail space, allowing Yummy Banana Chips to reach consumers directly.<\/p>\n

Ephrem believes the combination of quality and local sourcing will set Yummy Banana Chips apart from competitors. The founder claims his 50-gram banana chip pack, priced at 30 Birr, offers more value than the 35-gram standard of most local chip brands. Beyond that, Efi-Lude is committed to educational marketing campaigns to demonstrate why banana chips are a good alternative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More than a decade ago, Ephrem Debebe, a graduate of Haramaya University, traveled to Arba Minch for the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":229756,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[45,49,48,137],"class_list":{"0":"post-229755","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entrepreneurship","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-entrepreneurship"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229755\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}