ANU Student Team (Pine Kazi)
African Nazarene University students Olivia Awuor, Mike Langat and Angela Musyoka are the co-founders of Pine Kazi, a business that creates eco-friendly, comfortable vegan shoes from pineapple waste—promoting crop-waste management and circular economies.
the inspiration behind pine kazi
“We came up with the idea when we visited a pineapple farm in Thika [north of Nairobi] and were surprised to see huge piles of pineapple waste pushed to the side of the farm,” they said. Realizing the tons of pineapple leaves thrown out each day, the three entrepreneurs “embarked on a journey to see how we can add value to the waste.”
Pineapple waste is very fibrous, creating a sturdy textile. Olivia, Mike and Angela started out by creating bags—but their plan eventually evolved to a focus on shoes, which needed less equipment to make and offered more versatility of design.
“We all have a great passion for design and the environment, but we also have other talents which play a big role in Pine Kazi,” Olivia said.
While Angela and Olivia are passionate about art and design for the shoes, Mike is passionate about numbers and technology, heading up finance operations. Angela runs the general and marketing operations, and Olivia runs the executive parts of Pine Kazi.
The three entrepreneurs are currently focusing on using small farms to source waste, but have connected with big farms to source mass amounts of raw product. While big farms are ready to give them waste, larger scale products would require more financial investment.
pine kazi in the because accelerator
To reach this scale, Olivia, Mike and Angela will receive guidance in the Because Accelerator as they apply for funding
The founders hope that within five years, Pine Kazi will be an international brand, “creating major employment channels not only in Kenya but across Africa.” Since there is a surplus of pineapple waste and so much versatility with the pineapple textile, Pine Kazi has many options for growth and production.
The Because Accelerator is a completely free online training and mentorship program for entrepreneurs who have product-focused ideas and businesses in areas impacted by poverty.