How I started a rabbit sausages business with Sh20,000

“The other day, someone sent a text around 11pm asking for sausages for the next morning’s breakfast in Kilimani. I delivered.” She says this with enthusiasm.

For about six months, she has been selling rabbit sausages to numerous clients across the city—many of whom order from her Instagram page, while others are returning and referral customers.

“Value addition is the future of business in the food sector. You must look beyond what is common or what everybody else is doing. A business’s competitive edge lies in its ability to see beyond the ordinary.”

She is the sole proprietor of Rabbit Space Africa, a company she founded in 2024 during her maternity leave.

“There is something about my mat [maternity] leaves; I become more enterprising, maybe because I have more time to think about, write, and execute business plans. The first of such that I went for, I started an e-commerce platform for selling household goods, by the time I went back to my finance job at a major hospital in the city, I was deep into the business. It gave me good money, but after some time, I felt like it had served its purpose, and I closed it.”

Growing up, she was never around rabbits much. Her dalliance with rabbits started when she got married. Her husband kept rabbits.

“Suddenly, I lived in a home with many rabbits and no solid business idea. My enterprising mind gave birth (no pun) to the start of a rabbit meat business. At first, I wasn’t comfortable with the slaughter process. You see, rabbits are so cute, and slaughtering them did not sit well with me. Over time, I got over it and became a pro in the craft. I depended on my husband to do it a lot, but I learned as the business grew that I needed to own my skills for the business to thrive.”

She is now well experienced in slaughtering and deboning rabbits, which she says is not a struggle anymore.

In the early stages of the business, she attempted to scale up by looking for opportunities to sell to restaurants in Nairobi.

“I walked to a popular eatery where I came face to face with a crude misconception about rabbit meat. One person told me that they know rabbits as pets and meat for young boys. This discouraged and motivated me at the same time. While I understood the benefits of rabbit meat not just as a business venture but also as a food source, it seemed not many people knew this. Part of my business would be to establish a crusade in favour of rabbits.”

Interestingly, as niche as it may seem, the demand for rabbit meat is quite high. “It is viewed as a healthier option compared to other types of meat. It has a higher protein content along with lower fat and calorie counts. This is a key driving force behind the increase in demand over the last decade or so.”

From YouTube to a thriving business

When she ventured into rabbit meat value addition, she didn’t know how to approach it.

“The internet is a powerful resource. I went on YouTube and spent a considerable amount of time watching sausage-making videos. That was the first part of my business idea. The second involved conducting research. The market is relatively new, and the competition is not very stiff. Right there is a gap that any businessperson would notice and seize. Having pride of place gives you credibility. When you are among the first to start a venture, you gain trust easily; your product or service is regarded as higher quality than others in the market, as everyone who comes after is seen as unoriginal. YouTube taught me the basics. I would say I learned on the job. Some of the skills I apply today have been part of the learning process,” she says.

Setting up Rabbit Space Africa

The research part also involved her looking for suppliers of equipment required to set up her business. She had the basics in mind. A grinder, an electric food sealer, and a sausage maker.

“I am an avid participant in trade expos and symposia. I went to the AFMASS Food Manufacturing Expo at the Sarit Center in June 2024. I interacted with two suppliers; one required Sh30,000 for training on how to make sausages. At the time, I did not have the money. The second supplier offered free training and after-sale services. When they say luck is when opportunity meets preparation, this is what they mean. This opportunity found me ready.”

Taking risks

Her initial capital was a few shillings shy of Sh20,000. “After the training, I acquired a Freddy Hirsch sausage maker. The money was part of my child’s school fee. I do not know where such a risk appetite came from. I am glad I was bold enough to jump on the opportunity. The returns were almost instant, and the school fee was paid in good time.”

At the time, she operated from home. “We did not have a physical shop then; what you see here is an outcome of a growing business.” She refers to her shop near Wangige Market in Kiambu County.

The shop has basic amenities running the business: a sink, a grinder, a working table, a sausage machine, a deep freezer, and an electric food sealer.

She sources the rabbit meat from farmers in Kiambu County. “What I am struggling with right now is getting a consistent supply of rabbits and rabbit meat. I have a ready contract for anyone who would promise consistency. Every week, we do about 20 kilos of rabbit meat. This translates to eight to 10 rabbits, with each averaging about 1.2 kilos. Each carcass gives me between 3.5 to four packets of sausages, each pack going for Sh450.”

For efficiency, she buys already slaughtered rabbits.

“Business runs on time. When you spend too much time on the supporting processes, the end product suffers. To improve efficiency, I buy carcasses instead of live rabbits; this has reduced production time by about 50 percent. It gives me time to handle other processes efficiently and effectively. As the only employee of the business, I am the manager, the marketing lead, the HRM, the accounts and finance person, and all other duties put together. Besides this, I still have a family to raise. If I can save time, the opportunity is always welcome.”

Unlike many entrepreneurs who quit after a sole proprietorship starts showing signs of success or for fear of being overwhelmed, Rosemary has kept her job.

“I still have my day job. Luckily I am still early in post-mat [maternity] leave, so there is a little flexibility with working hours. Being a hospital, we work in shifts, so I plan business processes according to my shifts at work,” she says.

She plans to grow her business organically. “I have had many proposals for partnership in the last eight months. At this stage, I am still learning the business and finding a solid ground on which to lay a lasting foundation. Most of the proposals lean towards changing the rabbit sausage idea to other products, which I think is counterintuitive. At this stage, my focus is on rabbit sausages, not other products. So, for now, I will focus on how the business can grow organically to a bigger production capacity.”

Is the business profitable?

“About the profits let me say I have managed to buy better machines purely from profits. So it's good,” she says.

Her most prized lesson can be summarised into a simple sentence. “In business, know what you want and go for it.”

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