Mashke brands and packages ‘ice kenkey’ with style
On a typical hot afternoon, one local beverage that cannot be rejected is chilled mashed kenkey, commonly referred to as “ice kenkey,” mixed with milk and some groundnuts.
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To quench the thirst or even kill the hunger under the scorching sun, a bottle or cup of chilled mashed kenkey is what most people would need.
Like other beverages made in Ghana, such as Burkina, Fula and sobolo, ‘ice kenkey’ has remained one of Ghana’s finest beverages.
Mostly taken with bread or any pastry, it is served on the street and at events such as engagements, funerals and sports activities.
Made from Fante and Ga kenkey, which are made of maize, with the sweet flavour from milk and sugar, ‘ice kenkey’ has gone from just being consumed as a beverage to food that satisfies the the hunger pangs in the stomach of many people.
The uniqueness of the drink is that it is locally produced and has essential nutritional values.
Until recently, the drink was only produced and consumed by households.
Initially the drink was packaged in “ice water polythene bag”, but producers have now explored commercialisation strategies and now package it in various forms, including using bottles.
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Meeting marketing demands
One producer who has taken the branding and packaging of ice kenkey to another level to make it more appealing and attractive is 30-year–old Ms Awuradwoa Adjei, a holder of Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies.
With the brand name “Mashke Express”, which is gradually becoming a household name, Awuradwoa offers a special service of delivering the delicious and tasty mashed kenkey on the doorstep of its customers.
Although she is barely a year into the business and has only three workers, she says the response from customers has been “overwhelming,” since the beginning of the business in August, 2015.
With a touch of class and uniqueness, Awuradwoa’s Mashke Express is not only hygienic, nutritious and affordable but neatly packaged and branded to meet the market demands.
In a contemporary setting where packaging and branding sells products, Awuradwoa gives her customers the option to select what they prefer to enjoy with their iced kenkey.
“We have the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) pack, which has the ice kenkey in disposable cups. It comes with milk, sugar, groundnuts and pastries, which allows the customer to do the mixture the way he or she wants it. We also have the bottled one which is mixed already,” she explained.
At her small factory at Adenta, Awuradwoa produces 300 cups of masked kenkey and 1,200 bottles within a week. She gets her fresh kenkey from the Central Region, where the best Fante kenkey is produced.
“For hygienic reasons, I have my own milling machine that I use for the production. It is also convenient for me to mill the kenkey to the texture that I want,” she said.
Upon request, customers get their packaged Mashke Express either at their office, home or at event grounds.
From PR to ice kenkey seller
But how did Awuradwoa come by the mashed kenkey business idea? She said, “Growing up, what I really wanted to do was to become a journalist and I pursued that dream. I practised for a while but the focus changed after sometime”, she said with a smile.
With a degree and diploma certificate in Communications Studies and having practised as a PR, newscaster and entertainment reporter for years at Melody Radio in Takoradi, one would ask why she would not seek a different job in the media field.
She said she initially quit her job as a public relations officer (PRO) at Ghana Atomic Energy, where she had worked for five years to pursue her Master’s programme in the United Kingdom.
“Things did not turn out the way I wanted after I quit my job. I realised that the fee for the master’s programme outside Ghana was too high and so I decided to start something on my own to create a job for myself and also employ other people.
“In this era, it is difficult to get a job or bank your hopes on the government to create jobs and so I started a public relations and corporate events company but that was slow because the jobs were not coming as expected and I wanted to do something on a daily basis.
“After sometime, I considered the fact that anytime I prepared mashed kenkey for friends and some family members I was highly praised so I decided to give it a try by going into commercial production”, she said.
Eventually, Awuradwoa said, she invested the rest of the money she was supposed to have used for her master’s programme into acquiring the equipment to start the ice kenkey business.
“I have not regretted”
According to Awuradwoa, she has not regretted venturing into the business “because the response to the business has been amazing and overwhelming. I have fallen in love with what I do. The best part is the positive feedback from my customers who say they are satisfied with the product”.
When asked what the future of Mashke Express was, she said new products would soon be added, while the products would soon be accessed in every corner of the city and even beyond.
Awuradwoa is a product of the African University College of Communications where she had her diploma in Communications and later obtained a Degree at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ).
She urged graduates to “take up the challenges they encounter and start something instead of complaining and waiting for the government to provide jobs for them.
“Starting a business is not easy, but if you know what you want and believe in your dreams, you will make it work”.