“I am a baker, gospel singer and flight attendant. I got inspired to start baking by mum’s cooking. She used to bake us cake using the sand jiko and two sufurias method. After that, I started experimenting with the same method and ruined many of my mum’s sufurias in the process. I also went against the Meru culture, where young men were forbidden from entering the kitchen.” says Eric Joe Munene.

Joe’s childhood dream was to be a doctor. However, his affinity for arts and other hands-on subjects in high school plus his grades in Sciences put an end to that dream. He opted to study Banking and Languages instead, as he waited to be admitted to public university. “Before I could complete these studies, my brother informed me that an airline he was auditing the accounts for was hiring cabin crew. I applied and was rejected there several times. Finally, the airline offered me a job in the customer service department at the airport where I worked for six and a half years,” During this period, he kept applying for a flight attendant position even with foreign airlines but kept being rejected during interviews.

“All this time I would bake cookies and cake for my colleagues at work and soon some of them were willing to pay for them, so that their children would carry them to school as snacks. I bought cookbooks and cut out recipes from magazines and tried out different recipes during my off days.” When his colleagues were buying big TVs and sound systems, he saved up and bought an oven and basic baking equipment. He had an oven before he had any other electronics in his house.

“Eventually the airline I worked for allowed many of us in customer service to apply for cabin crew positions so I did and transitioned to my dream job. I started flying and the rest as they say is history.”

When the Great Kenyan Bake Off franchise started in 2019 a couple friends of his sent him the poster and encouraged him to apply but could not due to his work commitments.

Last year, as the Kenyan airspace was shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his friends sent him the TGKBO poster again and encouraged him to apply. As he was home for the better part of the year, he did and sent in his application a few minutes before the deadline. He ended up participating in the second season of the Great Kenyan Bake Off, emerging 1st Runners up.

“Despite not winning, being on the show opened many doors for me, my biggest take-home being that I interacted with the judges off camera. Asking them questions concerning baking and seeking knowledge from them and their collective experiences on how I can improve my skills in the kitchen was very inspiring. It was a masterclass for me. Nothing beats the exposure to great knowledge and skills for me. As a result, my baking has improved and the results speak for themselves.” Joe has since launched a baking business, Joeyz Cakes And Bakes aka Murume Bakes.

On the singing front he has served in the worship team and ministered in song since he was a teen in his local church in Meru where he grew up. His first album “Alive To Praise” was launched in 2008.  “I drew many lessons from the experience mostly on collaboration and the importance of working with a team as opposed to going solo. I learnt a lot, from performing, to booking and planning studio time to pushing the album for sales and looking for ministry opportunities.”

Behind every great gospel artist is a dedicated team. As a result he has since been working slowly, deliberately, on a follow-up sophomore album/EP one single, at a time.

Final words: “To whom much is given much is required,’ has been my steepest learning curve these past two years. I have learned to rely totally on God’s grace as per Lamentations 3:22, to thrive and operate in excellence in the variety of giftings God has put inside of me.”

Follow @ericjoemunene_murume on Instagram

Today we are highlighting our fave brands and reminiscing on our early encounters with them. We currently have so many brands in the market thanks to our entrepreneurial spirit. Many companies have gone before us and inspire us to date with their enthusiasm, drive and their willingness to evolve and adapt to current consumer needs. Today we celebrate some of them:

1. Ketepa: Ketepa is one of brands of tea in Kenya. Ketepa is short form for Kenya Tea Packers. This tea company has been making tea since 1978 with its headquarters in Kericho. They began exporting in 1992. Ketepa sources their tealeaves from farmers in Kenya and has maintained their great quality of tea. This is such a perfect example of producing and consuming our own products therefore creating job opportunities and helping build our Kenyan economy.

2. Blue Band: We fondly remember the metallic containers that were used in the packaging of Blue Band margarine. They now package in plastic containers and satchets. Blue Band has evolved over the years with the addition of mayonnaise, peanut butter and even porridge to their product catalog.

3. Rivatex: Rivatex processes raw cotton to finished fabric. They also specialize in polyester and cotton blends. Rivatex was established in 1976 and though it had its ups and downs, still clothes Kenyans to this day. They produce plain as well as printed fabric of different weights.

 Broadway Bakery: Who has not interacted with this popular bread in their homes or their boarding schools? Broadway Bakery limited was founded before independence in 1958 as a small bakery in Thika. It grew rapidly in the 70s and was very famous in the 90s. Their bread is enjoyed to date and is especially known for its unique biodegradable wax packaging paper.

OMO: OMO was a widely used detergent in the 90s and still is to date. OMO was initially packaged in a special box before being eventually packaged in plastic bags. Remember the TV program, OMO pick a box that used to air on KBC?

We are so inspired by these brands that have been in the market for a long time and continue to serve us and others beyond our borders.

Are you a business owner, established or startup? We would love to share your story with our great audience and inspire other business people and aspiring entrepreneurs. Get in touch with us today.