l read this earlier and felt like sharing this as t may be of a help to many who are rearing rabbits and may be facing the challenge of selling off their matured stock or facing the underpricing of their stock.


Isaac Muigai pushes a sharp knife back and forth, cutting through rabbit meat as Lilian Kanyingo holds it gently.

They are deboning the rabbit before mincing its flesh for sausages, samosas and kebabs at the company they own and jointly run with Peter Njoroge in Kikuyu, Kiambu County.

Their firm, Pillar Group Limited, buys the animals from farmers all over the country, and so far, it has direct contact with 382 of them.

The firm trains the farmers in rabbit keeping, including how to construct cages, feeding, breeding, handling and care and later buys the animals.

“We also tell them where to source the fastest-maturing breeds, best feeds, disease prevention and treatment,” Lilian, 27, who is in charge of training, says.

The three have a rich experience in rabbit-keeping, having reared the animals before turning to value addition due to exploitation by middlemen.

Muigai, Njoroge and Lilian met by chance during an agricultural exhibition in Wangige, Kiambu, in 2010, and formed the company to offer farmers a market.

Their aim was to add value to rabbit meat and enable farmers earn more from their investment.

“Then, a rabbit weighing at least 4kg would go for Sh200 (N400). We started buying each kilo at Sh500 (N1,000), which saw the same rabbit going for Sh2,000 (N4,000). This is after training our farmers on how to raise the animals free of charge,” Lilian says.

They contributed Sh40,000 (N80,000) each from their savings to start the business.

STUFFING MACHINE

“In addition, we borrowed Sh215,000 (N430,000)from a bank that we used to buy sausage-making equipment, which included a mixer and stuffing machine. By the end of the year, we had repaid the loan.”

They learned how to make rabbit meat products in a training organized by the Ministry of Agriculture in Kikuyu.

The company’s products have been flying off supermarket shelves and currently, Pillar Group Limited is facing a shortage of rabbits.

“Supermarkets in Nairobi have asked us to supply them (with sausage) but we cannot slaughter 200 rabbits daily as they requested since we don’t have enough. We slaughter 100 rabbits (per day),” Muigai says. The firm sells a sausage at Sh50 (N100)

“Nothing goes to waste as we sell the skin to a group in Nyeri that makes shoes. We sell each rabbit skin at Sh200 (N400).”

Presently, the firm buys rabbits from farmers across the country provided the animals are in good health.

Pillar Group Limited recommends hybrid rabbits such as New Zealand White, California White, Chinchilla and the Checkered Giant because they give better yields.

The firm’s brisk business has enabled the three investors to buy a vehicle that they use to buy and transport rabbits from all over the country.

Attached are pictures of two of the owners of the rabbit sausage making company and rabbit sausage.


N.B. l have bought a pack of their sausage which l fry for breakfast and l must say it tastes nice

@ Op:
Ogami, I hail ooooooo

TheUnbeatable:
@ Op:
Ogami, I hail ooooooo

Bros, na you disappear o, l hope all is well at your end.

Pavore9:
l read this earlier and felt like sharing this as t may be of a help to many who are rearing rabbits and may be facing the challenge of selling off their matured stock or facing the underpricing of their stock.


Isaac Muigai pushes a sharp knife back and forth, cutting through rabbit meat as Lilian Kanyingo holds it gently.

They are deboning the rabbit before mincing its flesh for sausages, samosas and kebabs at the company they own and jointly run with Peter Njoroge in Kikuyu, Kiambu County.

Their firm, Pillar Group Limited, buys the animals from farmers all over the country, and so far, it has direct contact with 382 of them.

The firm trains the farmers in rabbit keeping, including how to construct cages, feeding, breeding, handling and care and later buys the animals.

“We also tell them where to source the fastest-maturing breeds, best feeds, disease prevention and treatment,” Lilian, 27, who is in charge of training, says.

The three have a rich experience in rabbit-keeping, having reared the animals before turning to value addition due to exploitation by middlemen.

Muigai, Njoroge and Lilian met by chance during an agricultural exhibition in Wangige, Kiambu, in 2010, and formed the company to offer farmers a market.

Their aim was to add value to rabbit meat and enable farmers earn more from their investment.

“Then, a rabbit weighing at least 4kg would go for Sh200 (N400). We started buying each kilo at Sh500 (N1,000), which saw the same rabbit going for Sh2,000 (N4,000). This is after training our farmers on how to raise the animals free of charge,” Lilian says.

They contributed Sh40,000 (N80,000) each from their savings to start the business.

STUFFING MACHINE

“In addition, we borrowed Sh215,000 (N430,000)from a bank that we used to buy sausage-making equipment, which included a mixer and stuffing machine. By the end of the year, we had repaid the loan.”

They learned how to make rabbit meat products in a training organized by the Ministry of Agriculture in Kikuyu.

The company’s products have been flying off supermarket shelves and currently, Pillar Group Limited is facing a shortage of rabbits.

“Supermarkets in Nairobi have asked us to supply them (with sausage) but we cannot slaughter 200 rabbits daily as they requested since we don’t have enough. We slaughter 100 rabbits (per day),” Muigai says. The firm sells a sausage at Sh50 (N100)

“Nothing goes to waste as we sell the skin to a group in Nyeri that makes shoes. We sell each rabbit skin at Sh200 (N400).”

Presently, the firm buys rabbits from farmers across the country provided the animals are in good health.

Pillar Group Limited recommends hybrid rabbits such as New Zealand White, California White, Chinchilla and the Checkered Giant because they give better yields.

The firm’s brisk business has enabled the three investors to buy a vehicle that they use to buy and transport rabbits from all over the country.

Attached are pictures of two of the owners of the rabbit sausage making company and rabbit sausage.


N.B. l have bought a pack of their sausage which l fry for breakfast and l must say it tastes nice

Boss am so impress. But I noticed recently that the influx of foreigners in agribusiness setup in other African countries is high compare to Nigeria, especially in the area of training & capacity building. What do u think is d cause?

@world1, yes there is more capacity training and lots of tv/radio programs focused on agriculture here as against Nigeria, foreigners see Nigeria as being more interested in their oil but am glad youths are showing more interest in agribusiness.

Pavore9:
@world1, yes there is more capacity training and lots of tv/radio programs focused on agriculture here as against Nigeria, foreigners see Nigeria as being more interested in their oil but am glad youths are showing more interest in agribusiness.

I will be coming to Kenya for some training and business early next year I will love to share an ideal with you can I have your contact or you contact me.

world1:

I will be coming to Kenya for some training and business early next year I will love to share an ideal with you can I have your contact or you contact me.

Just PM and l will reply.

Well done a group of 3 guys are already doing similar thing in Lagos.

Just give Nigeria 3 years we shall take over as gaint in agriculture.

The only problem I foresee is storage, you need steady power supply to preserve sausages. That means both the retailers and consumers must have steady electric in Nigeria..

boluwajokosegun:
Well done a group of 3 guys are already doing similar thing in Lagos.

Just give Nigeria 3 years we shall take over as gaint in agriculture.

How are the guys turning rabbit into sausage doing?