Cameroon’s farmers grow an abundance of fruit, yet a significant share never reaches consumers. Post-harvest losses remain high, accessible processing solutions are scarce, and local markets are dominated by imported sugary sodas. At the same time, many consumers still hesitate to trust the quality of homegrown products. Much of this lost harvest, however, could be transformed into healthy, marketable goods that create value at home.
Our #E4ImpactEntrepreneur Carelle Nylene Teuwa Kouam saw this challenge as an opportunity. She is the founder of STF Natural SARL (Société de Transformation des Fruits), a Cameroonian enterprise that turns ginger, lemon, guava, and hibiscus into natural juices, produced in a dedicated facility with a capacity of 1,800 bottles a day. A participant in the E4Impact WONDER programme (Cohort 2, 2024), financed by African Development Bank, she has proved that with training, discipline, and a clear vision, local fruit can become a driver of health, employment, and economic growth.
Having lifted turnover from 25,000,000 to 60,510,000 CFA between 2021 and 2024 — an increase of more than 140% — Carelle is clear about the role the programme played:
“I chose E4Impact WONDER programme to explore new business opportunities, scale up my business, and improve my business strategies. It helped us structure our business plan to make it more bankable. It also improved our management and strategic approach. That stronger footing is what allowed us to keep growing — from a modest two-product start to an enterprise that now supplies more than 100 points of sale.”
Let’s learn more about Carelle and STF Natural, in her own words.
1. How was your business idea born?
Our idea was born during our university studies, when our first goal was simply to become financially independent. The need to transform fruit came from the post-harvest problems we saw in the market and the accessible methods available to process it. Everything started with training in entrepreneurship and agricultural transformation through the PEA JEUNE programme, and with family support we launched the business with a fund of 1,500,000 CFA (about €2,300). We began with just two products; today we have a range of more than seven, made from ginger, lemon, guava, and hibiscus.
2. What are the main achievements of the last 3 years and the main goals you aim to achieve in the next 3 years?
Our turnover more than doubled between 2021 and 2024, and we expanded from 20 to more than 100 points of sale. We went from a single permanent employee to an average of 20 trained staff, and the production unit we built in 2022 has been key to that growth. Along the way we received real support and recognition: a grant of 1,500,000 CFA from the PEA JEUNES programme through MINADER in 2018, participation in the Special Triennial Plan for Youth in 2022, selection as the best project in a UNDP competition under the YWEEP programme with a $2,500 prize in 2024, and 25,000,000 CFA in funding from the Ministry of Youth’s FOGA JEUNES programme in September 2024. We have been recognised as icons of youth entrepreneurship in Cameroon.
For the next three years, we are building a 2,000-square-metre production site at PK26 by 2026, and our goal is to raise our capacity to 5,000 bottles of natural juice per day. In the short term we also want to establish a farm of more than four hectares for pineapple and ginger to secure our own raw materials, and to produce a detox tea by valorising our ginger and pineapple pulp — turning by-products into new value.
3. Could you share a general framework of the services, activities, solutions and benefits that your business has provided over the last years?
We have created 20 direct jobs and more than 10 indirect ones, and we have trained over 20 young people through internships. We market our juices across Cameroon — mainly in Douala, Yaoundé, and Kribi — to taverns, snack bars, restaurants, hotels, bakeries, and distributors. We are also helping to reduce the consumption of sugary sodas by offering natural ginger juice as a healthier alternative.
4. Could you tell us about a particular satisfactory moment you had in your entrepreneurial activity?
The contract we signed in 2019 with Guinness Cameroun, for the supply of 30,000 bottles of natural juice; it confirmed that there is real demand for quality local products.
5. What has been the main challenge you had to overcome, and how have you managed to overcome it?
The main challenge has been combining the path of a woman entrepreneur with my responsibilities at home. I have managed it with honesty, patience, and hard work.
I must also say that, in general, the business environment in Cameroon is challenging, because of the legal complexity and the resources you need to stay compliant. Mindsets are also a barrier: people can be reluctant to consume local products because they doubt their quality. And access to financing to develop the business has been a challenge too.
6. In your opinion, what are the main qualities an entrepreneur should have?
Honesty, patience, and hard work.
7. Is there a person you are inspired by, i.e. an entrepreneur or a particular mentor?
Entrepreneurs here in Cameroon, people like Kadji and Fotso Victor, and even my own father.
8. Finally, what would you suggest to a new-born entrepreneur?
Patience, endurance, and perseverance in business. And training: it is a pillar of success.
From a 1,500,000 CFA family investment to a growing enterprise supplying more than 100 points of sale, Carelle Teuwa Kouam’s story shows how local fruit, processed with care and ambition, can nourish both people and an economy.
Learn more about STF Natural — Société de Transformation des Fruits.