Raha Beverages Company Ltd (formerly Banana Investments Limited) is a home-grown venture dating back to early 1990 as a backyard producer of wine made from banana fruits. While the original idea was to produce the wine for home consumption; it gained popularity hence developing from a home-made wine to a widely accepted variety of banana alcoholic beverages produced in a more organised and nationally acceptable process. The firm was first formally registered in 1993 under the name of Arusha Agricultural Products Enterprises, employing only 13 people. In 1996, the business was incorporated as Banana Investments Limited and started producing and distributing banana alcoholic beverages country wide.
Raha Beverages Company (RABEC) is a result of rebranding of Banana Investments Ltd whereby the name Raha Beverages Company Ltd is adopted effective from 31 st December 2019.
The reason for the rebranding and hence the name change is to have a company name that reflects what the company does; the production and distribution of beverages.
Since its inception in 1996, a number of other producers of similar products have emerged; however, the company remains the leading producer and distributer of banana alcoholic beverages in Tanzania. The brands that the company produces include Raha, Raha Poa, Raha Gold. Currently, the products are popular in 14 regions namely Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Tanga, Dar-es-Salaam, Coast, Manyara, Singida, Simiyu, Dodoma, Mwanza, Shinyanga, Geita, Mara, and Mtwara.
In its journey of progression from a family run business venture to a more organised and nationally recognised business. Raha Beverages Co Limited adopted its five-year Strategic Plans from 2008.
The first Strategic Plan was developed and implemented from 2008 to 2012, while the second plan was developed and implemented between 2013 and 2017. At present the company is implementing its third Strategic Plan that covers the period of 2018 and 2022. The first plan sort to reorganise the business structure of the company from a family business, to emulate public companies in order to be more productive. The second plan geared to enhance the quality of its product, expand the production line, introducing new varieties as well as new products. The second plan also focused on expanding banana markets locally and abroad, especially to the Eastern, Central African countries); with the objective of maximising revenue and profitability.
