CCLinspire Feature on Dan Karani MD of Jumia Foods Kenya & Rwanda

Dan Karani, Managing Director of Jumia Food Kenya and Rwanda

This month’s feature is on Dan Karani the Managing Director of Jumia Food Kenya and Rwanda. Most of us will recall it as Hellofoods, which is what it was formerly known as. Jumia Foods is both an app and a food delivery service company for takeaway foods from most operating restaurants in Kenya and Rwanda.

Dan’s journey is one of a driven individual. I have known Dan for a quite a number of years now and to see how far is grown, is tremendous and inspiring to see. When I first met him his focus was striking and it is no surprise he is where he is today for he was always happy to work hard and strived for greatness in all that he chose to do.

Be inspired and motivated by the journey his taken so far as an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurship has become more of a regular option for one to embark on after graduating. What made you decide that it was the right option for you?

For me personally, it came from desire to take a risk, create something from scratch and be part of the growth. Exposure to small and new businesses early during my internships was also eye opening. It was a lot of hard work but a fantastic learning experience being part of the growth. My passion for technology led me to experiment with various business models after graduating where I launched a couple of technology start-up, including a mobile money rent payment service and launching the first taxi hailing app in Kenya.

Wow that’s, impressive. So what then led you to focus on a business centred on the food industry? And how then did you go about starting Hello Foods?

I have to say being a foodie helped in making it an easy decision to move into the industry. I ended up in the food business following my experience working on previous start-ups. I had gained great insight in using technology to help business access new customers and market their services. I joined an incredible entrepreneurial team at Jumia (formerly known as Africa Internet Group) & my first assignment was launching and growing the global food ordering platform in Kigali, Rwanda. The beginning was tough, having to learn the new market and business culture. However, with great awareness and growing support from eager tech-savvy customers, I was able to grow the business from a few orders every day to the many thousands of meals we deliver every month, all in less than three years.

The Team in Kigali, Rwanda

Hello Foods has since been relinquished and is now known as Jumia Foods, how did the collaboration with Jumia come about and has there been transition challenges?

What many people did not realise was that Jumia & Hellofood were all part of Africa Internet Group. As a company, we decided to rebrand and focus our effort on building the largest Internet ecosystem and brand in Africa. So, it just remained the same service but with a new name. Initially, there were a few queries from curious customers but I wouldn’t exactly call that challenging. We communicated to our customers and they all supported the rebranding from Hellofood to Jumia Food. I have to be honest, it was also hard for us to let go of the name ‘hellofood’.

While still on the topic of challenges, what have you generally experienced in the starting and running of a business from scratch and in turn how do you continuously overcome them?

Starting and running a business from scratch is all about the people. Remember, even as the most brilliant founder, you cannot do it all. So initial challenge is to find the right people for your team. A great team is able to keep well ahead of the curve in a competitive and very dynamic business environment. It takes time to find the right people but it’s worth the effort. It’s important to have the right team for you to build the right culture. To continuously overcome challenges, enable the team to take risks and give them motivation to innovate on-solutions. This has become the culture in any business I run.

Reflecting on January, how has it been so far? How do you anticipate business will be like this year, in Kenya especially with the coming elections?

January was great month for the business and with the end of the holiday season, we saw a peak in lunch orders from our corporate clients. I anticipate our business to continue growing in spite of the elections. However, we will be monitoring the situation to ensure we are prepared to continue operating even during the election period as we anticipate an increase in demand.

Dan seen here doing the #M7Challenge in the roads of Nairobi

What are the big and grand plans not only for Dan the man, but also for Jumia foods?

Dan wants to get into event management. Jumia Food will be adding more partnerships not just in terms of new restaurants but also events. Look out for Jumia Food Events such as food fairs, festivals, cookouts etc. I’m super excited about this and can’t wait to get going later on this year.  

There are people reading who may be interested in running their business not just within food industry, what would be some of the things you would advice they take into consideration before and during?

Hard work cannot be compromised in business and entrepreneurship. If you have an idea, start now and do something every day towards fulfilling your goal. You could start by writing it down.  Business is all about selling and customer satisfaction, so you should spend the first year or more focused on selling your product or service and building a loyal customer base. Finally, while running the business, focus on every customer and your team. Take care of them.

Lastly, kindly share with the CCL readers a motto/quote you live by that encourages you and keeps you motivated.

If you’re given a coffee cup to wash, wash it better than any other coffee cup has ever been washed in the world. I was given this piece of advice many years ago while in high school. This has greatly influenced my attitude and desire to exceed expectations and keeps me motivated.

Dan reminds us that when creating a business good work ethics is key, research and understanding the market your getting into. Then find the gap and then work at creating a business that’s the gap filler so to speak. However you are more likely to succeed if the element of love and keen interest in the core aspect of your business is there because this shall be the drive you really need when things don’t seem to go according to plan. Lastly is that even though your business is no different to any other, that you will win hearts by giving your all. Proving that in life if your reap hard work then you shall harvest great returns.

Get acquainted with Dan Karani in the following ways:
LinkedIn: Duncan Machangi
Instagram: @JumiaFoodKenya

Thanks for reading and may this be the matchstick that lights up the fire in you.

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