The fishing industry is a vital component of Kenya’s economy, providing a significant source of food, income, and employment. Joseph Muriithi, an expert in the manufacturing, agriculture, and fisheries industries, noticed a lack of added value within the sector, which could weaken the sector’s contribution in the long term. This is why, in 2018, he founded Camino Ruiz to scale production of tilapia while strengthening women’s economic empowerment.
Camino Ruiz operates across Kenya, managing the sourcing, processing, and sale of tilapia. The company collaborates with a partner company and groups of smallholder farmers to raise fish, process them, and sell them across Kenya.
Camino Ruiz has a standing long-term partnership with Global Tilapia, which supplies Camino Ruiz with tilapia raised on the shores of Lake Victoria. The partner company and farmers manage the breeding and feeding of the fish, harvesting, storage, and transport to Camino Ruiz’s facilities, while Camino Ruiz is responsible for reception, processing, and distribution to the market. The portfolio of products marketed by Camino Ruiz consists of fresh fish, fried fish and fish fillet marketed under the brand name ‘Global Tilapia’. The company distributes the products through major supermarkets with nationwide footprint, its own retail outlets employing women vendors (Mama Samaki[1]) and through fish vendors in Homabay county in southern Kenya. These different actors supply end consumers, including low- and middle-income households.
N3F’s Investment and TA support
The Nutritious Foods Financing Facility (N3F) is supporting Camino Ruiz with expansion and working capital financing, as well as tailored technical assistance. This investment will fund the purchase of additional fish cages and feed to support increased fish production, helping to fill a gap in fish supply resulting from a Kenyan government ban on frozen fish imports. In addition to financing, the following areas are being considered for technical assistance:
- Animal welfare: N3F will support Camino Ruiz in implementing responsible animal welfare practices that allow for the breeding, development, harvesting, and slaughtering of fish under standard conditions, increasing productivity (reducing morbidity and mortality) as well as food safety and environmental sustainability.
- Farmers’ training: N3F will help strengthen the capacities of Camino Ruiz’s partner farmers on best aquaculture practices and fish cycle management to improve productivity and income.
- Data collection and consumer insights: N3F will support Camino Ruiz in understanding and measuring its impact on end consumers by providing technical assistance to collect and analyze consumer data. This data will provide decision-making insights for the company, assisting it in improving its consumer reach.
Nutrition Impact
N3F’s investment in Camino Ruiz will accelerate the growth of the company by expanding production through additional cages and meeting its working capital needs. Through its investment in Camino Ruiz, N3F will increase access of lower-income populations to essential nutrients. Tilapia is considered a nutritious food choice due to its high-quality protein content (20g per 100g) and low levels of saturated fats. It is also a good source of healthy fats, vitamins B12 and D (both 31% of daily recommendation per 100g), as well as minerals like phosphorus, selenium, and potassium (20-78% of daily recommendations per 100g). This contributes to Kenyans’ adoption of healthy and sustainable diets. Furthermore, by employing Mama Samaki women in its retail outlets and working with female farmers, who manage tilapia cages on Lake Victoria, Camino Ruiz offers decent work and economic opportunities to these women.