Inspiring journey of Juki Nuts founders at Intra-Africa Trade Fair
Justice Ganku, 27 and Davis Attah, 26, are among the 43 Ghanaian exhibitors at the Intra-Africa Trade Fair which started here on November 9, this year.
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They brought different varieties of packaged cashew nuts, (salted, unsalted and chilli flavoured) which they produced and are so happy about the partnership and connections they have made with other business owners and visitors who are at the fair.
They are particularly thrilled about the endorsement they got for their brand at the fair by Ghanaian musician, M.anifest, South African musician, Oskido, and Chief Executive Officer of Afrochella, now Afrofuture , a popular music and arts festival.
Mr Ganku told The Mirror in an interview that "we are happy about how the Ghana Export Promotion Authority has supported us to come this far."
Mr Attah said even though they were making good sales, they were happier about the networking the fair had facilitated.
The two are brothers who graduated from the university and decided to go into business.
Mr Attah read Political Science and Information Studies at the University of Ghana, Legon, while Mr Ganku studied Petroleum Engineering at a University in Russia.
They have two other young people, Gilbert Smith, 28 and Richard Nixon-Addiah , 26, they are working with to make their brand, Juki nuts, and their company, JGrand Commodities, an internationally known one for healthy snacks.
On how they began the business, Mr Ganku said he returned home after national service from Russia and got caught up by the COVID-19 pandemic and decided “to do something knowing that I was not going to be employed by Springfield, the company I did my service with.”
"I discussed my ideas with my brother and my friend, Gilbert, who also studied Medicine in Russia and decided not to practise."
"Richard, who works with GEPA, joined us with his expertise and we are looking forward to expanding."
For now, the company buys semi-processed cashew nuts from farmers and adds value by roasting them and packaging them in a manner they say have made cashew nuts more attractive to both the young and the old.
Mr Ganku said his departure from eating junk food as advised by his doctor after a health challenge got him eating healthy and that was where cashew nuts became an attraction to him and the beginning of the business.
The four have been working for two years now and are looking forward to surmounting the challenges of lack of funding, adequate logistics and accessing larger markets.
They also intend to grow and process their own nuts.
