Sun Sweet Company

Located on the outskirts of Kitui County in Kenya, Sun Sweet Company was started in 2019. Here, there are groves of mango trees as far as your eyes can see. Each day ten women gather to sort, process and dry mangoes that are harvested from over a hundred farmers during peak season between December and April.

The women here are traditionally from the tribe Kamba. Each day begins very early in the morning for them and ends late in the evening. But the women find the hard work worth it because it means they make enough income to help feed their families.

The women and the company at large feel great to have their fruits sold in the US. Their favorite is the mango and want to teach you how to say it in Kamba, “Maembe’’. The company's focus is to buy raw mangoes which are plentiful during the peak season. It has a network of about 100 farmers who supply fruits during the season. Out of the 100 farmers, 60% are females and 40% males.

The most favorite time of the year is December to April when fruits are plenty and the company maximizes its production. When fruits are not in season, the company outsources fruits from other regions in Kenya as far as the coastal region.

The women who do the processing in the company eat breakfast and lunch together and embrace team work. Breakfast is tea and bread. Lunch is usually rice.