Ethiopia's poultry giants: From $3,500 start-up now hitting $1.6m in sales

Posted on : Saturday , 22nd April 2017

The high demand for poultry in Ethiopia is shaping the lives of a group of friends who came together in 2010 to start a poultry farm.

In the capital Addis Ababa, Friendship Agroindustry is now the second largest supplier of chicken and other poultry products.

The company was started after they put their personal savings together and took a loan of 3,500 US dollars as capital. In seven years, the business has grown significantly.

“The company registers remarkable growth every year especially in terms of sales. I can cite for example last year we had sales of about 1.6 million dollars.

“This quarter we have registered more than 800,000 dollars in sales, which means we expect more than 1.7 million dollars in sales at the end of the year,” a stakeholder disclosed.

According to the Alliance for a Green Revolution (AGRA) growth in agriculture is more effective at cutting poverty because farming is a main source of income for more than 60 percent of Africa’s labour force.

“I came here to buy 255 chickens and 2,400 eggs. The main reason I buy these products from this organization is because the chicken are healthy and the quality of eggs is good, so buying their products means we distribute healthy chicken to customers,” a supplier, Beniam Kebede said.

Friendship also processes and sells chicken feed and manure to farmers. They also run a program where it partners with suppliers who help market their products. The company is working to expand its reach and supply.
 Ethiopia is one of Africa’s most populous countries with a large market demand and supply base.