The food store redefining healthy eating in Tanzania

Dar es Salaam. Imagine if instead of seeing a large pizza or a double cheeseburger being advertised on social media, or even a cold carbonated drink on a billboard on your way from work, you would see a glass of fresh orange juice next to a bowl of salad. What if you were told to obey your thirst to a smoothie made of Mchicha, apples, a little ginger and chia seeds.

What if eating healthy was as exciting and popular? Franklin Bagalla, Operations Director at Tomoni Farms Limited in Dar es Salaam, says that it can be. Most advertised drinks have no nutritional value, but they are given prominence because there is no alternative.

Eating healthy should be the order of the day, he says. It is this thought that made him and his wife, Lilian become founders of Tomoni Farmers, home to Tomoni’s Farm Fresh Market, Farm Fresh Bar, Farm Fresh Bakery and Farm Fresh Kitchen.

Speaking in his office recently, Franklin explains that the company was launched four years ago when they started farming in Tomoni Village, Mahege Ward, Kibiti District in Coast Region. They own 500 acres of land. Half of it has not be developed yet. But the rest of it has sprout out a number of vegetables and tropical fruits such as pineapples, mangoes, bananas, oranges, lime, lemons and passion fruit.

The future of farming

Unlike most markets that we are used to, this one located in Victoria is not a place where you would be concerned of getting dirty. The ‘market’ is in an enclosed building, and fully air conditioned. Franklin is of the view that this is the way markets will look like in the future. “The difference is that we keep everything fresh and clean. Hygiene matters a lot when it comes to food. The customer feels safe because he knows the source,” he says.

He goes on to say that the model that they have designed might seem unique in Tanzania but that’s how we revolutionise agriculture. “I wouldn’t mind if other businessmen did the same all over the country; it is good. We follow the 20/80 rule. The 20 per cent support the 80. It is the few that should invest in agriculture. If 200 people in Dar es Salaam are doing this, then that’s great,” he says.

On the shelves are fresh greens, fruits, eggs, nuts, honey, spices and flour. The prices do not differ from those of your normal genge in your neighbourhood. There are other fruits in the fridge, such as strawberries and raspberries. These go for a price of Sh5000-7000. And fruit salad is sold for Sh2000. The smell of freshly baked bread will refresh your sense of smell. escaping the bakery next room.

And right behind the market building, there is a juice bar where customers can enjoy freshly made drinks. From fresh juice to smoothies packaged in a glass, a 1 litre gallon and 5 litre gallon.

Meals are also served at The Kitchen.

Operations Manager Salome Mtali says that the market has been open for about two months now. She explains that once the food is brought in from the farm, it is taken to the sorting room. Then it is taken to the packaging room. The 40ft container at the premises is the “cold room” which is used as storage. “We have dominated the whole value chain. From distribution, packaging, storage. That is what makes Tomoni unique,” Franklin says.

Solving a nutritional problem

Franklin explains that he and his wife had been discussing about it for years before they finally decided to open Tomoni. “We wanted to do business once we retire. We’ve been discussing this for years, we were building a vision,” he says and adds, “We wanted something that would be unique and convenient; and a solution to people’s problems.” Obesity is one of the main problems in Tanzania, one which Franklin and Lilian thought they could do something about. Franklin says that they realised that most people in this metropolitan city do not eat well balanced meals even though they might have access to healthy food. They plan on having a nutritionist who would advise customers on healthy living.

In a report published in 2011 by Grace A. Shayo and Ferdinand Mugusi titled “Prevalence of obesity and associated risk factors among adults in Kinondoni municipal district, Dar es Salaam Tanzania”, researchers observed that the prevalence of obesity was highest among those with high socioeconomic status (29.2%) as compared to those with medium (14.3%) and low socioeconomic status (11.3%). In conclusion they said in the report, “This study revealed a high prevalence of obesity among Kinondoni residents which was far higher than previous prevalence obtained from other areas in the country. This means that the obesity epidemic declared in the world by the World Health Organization (WHO) does not spare developing countries where this study was conducted.”

Franklin explains that according to data that they had obtained while researching for their business, they learnt that Kariakoo market used to supply 75 percent of people’s needs in the past. Today, it only supplies 6 percent to 4 million of its inhabitants. The rest is distributed among the smaller markets across the city. There is a demand for food, an opportunity that they decided to make the most of. “We asked ourselves, what part can we play in changing this situation? We chose to invest in food, mostly fruit and vegetables,” he explains.

“This is not just a business, it is about addressing a nutritional problem.

Not many people understand the details of eating a balanced diet. We are giving them a platform to eat healthy. And for those who have no time to prepare, we do it for them. Some people prepare food the wrong way. It is overcooked, over diluted, sugar added. It is of low quality.”

Raising awareness

Doreen Z. Kasubi, a Nutritionist based in Dar es Salaam, agrees with Franklin. She explains that there are two reasons why people do not have healthy ways of eating. Culture plays a great role, she says. “It is sad, but most people would only be keen to know how much they weigh when they visit the hospital. We are not used to doing regular check up, leave alone eating a healthy balanced diet.

“On the other hand, in Sub Saharan countries, a fat man is praised. It is associated with wealth. A married woman would be praised if her husband has a pot belly. People would say that you know how to cook, and you treat him well.

The same praises would be given to a man whose wife is fat. So, cultural habits are also involved in encouraging unhealthy eating,” she says.

Doreen goes on to explains that we need to raise awareness of healthy living. And it is a broad thing, she says. It is not just about what you eat, but also when you eat, how many times in a day do you eat, how many hours do you sleep, how often do you do body check up, do you exercise, and it could even be the amount of what you drink in a day that affects your health.

“Traditionally, coastal menu is richly dominated by carbs. You wake up in the morning and start with bread, maandazi (sweet fried dough), chapati or vitumbua (coconut rice pancakes). You have ugali (stiff porridge) or rice for lunch and dinner. Rarely do we eat enough vegetables and fruits. Even if you eat at Mama ntilie’s, she would put more rice than the mboga.

“So even if you observe the local life, you will realise that we generally eat very little vegetables and fruits. But you have to eat carbs in small portion. The more you age, the less the demand for it in your body. You have to change your lifestyle as you grow older,” she explains.

Doreen goes on to explain that unhealthy eating in urban areas is also contributed by work. People do less physical activities, and they hardly exercise.

That’s why Tomoni Farmers Market has delivery service. “We know that people are very busy. That’s why we deliver, within a certain radius from where we are, at least for now.

We will expand this service as we continue to grow as a company,” Franklin says.

He goes on to say, “At the moment, we are building a brand. We want to open branches all over Tanzania that would provide the same quality of services. We have started in Dar es Salaam but we will soon venture out. Mobile fresh bars, that is what we would like to do.