How former househelp built an international herbs brand

“While in secondary school, I’d work as a househelp to cater for my fees,” she recalls. “Even after high school, I continued with the job to help clear fee arrears.”

Eventually, she enrolled for a Diploma in Marketing Management, a decision that changed the trajectory of her life. It led her to a flower exporting company, where she would work for nearly a decade - her first exposure to the world of international trade.

Her role allowed her to travel to Europe and the Middle East—markets that dominate Kenya’s cut flower exports. It was during these trips that an idea began to take root.

“At trade events, buyers often asked why we weren’t supplying herbs,” she recalls of the moment that stirred her entrepreneurial curiosity.

Travelling for work opened Esther’s eyes. At trade fairs abroad, buyers often asked why Kenya wasn’t exporting herbs. Their curiosity lingered in her mind.

In 2012, encouraged by the demand she saw abroad and backed by nearly a decade of export experience, Ms Ngina decided to act.

To observers, the move which would upend her financial stability, was ill-advised, especially since she had just lost her mother and caring for an ailing sister. But Esther didn't give an ear to naysayers. She made a bold move; quit her job.

“It wasn’t an easy time, but I reminded myself that I had the experience. It wouldn’t be gambling,” she says. She was just 30 years old when she took the leap of faith that every entrepreneur must take.

A strong believer in saving, she applied for a Sacco loan and secured Sh1.2 million as startup capital. She ventured into exporting conventional crops like French beans and snow peas, but herbs never left her mind.

Business was good and soon, she expanded to include mint, rosemary, coriander, thyme, and dill—initially sourced from the Mt Kenya region.

Yet, inconsistent supply from farmers was a major challenge. In 2014, Esther decided to roll up her sleeves and became a farmer herself.

“Like any startup, finances were tight. I ended up selling 25 percent of my business to scale up and begin herb farming,” she shares.

Management and accounting were new territory. To fill those gaps, she visited seasoned exporters, learning on the go. She started with just two acres and, over time, grew to 10.

Then came a blow. A legal dispute cut short her lease, locking her out of a 10-acre farm with 31 greenhouses, a cold room, and an office. But giving up wasn’t in her nature.

“I had to start over,” she says.

From the setback, Esther regrouped and reimagined. Taste Kenya Exporters birthed two subsidiaries: Herbspice Market Link, which works with outgrowers, and Makena Paradise Herbs, named after her daughter, which focuses on value addition.

Today, she grows herbs like basil, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, and tarragon. On a modest quarter-acre plot in Enkasiti near Kitengela, she runs a herb propagation greenhouse where she nurtures perennial herbs from cuttings.

“Herb seeds are expensive, and many farmers can’t afford them. That’s a gap I wanted to bridge,” she explains.

As a licensed seed merchant under Kephis, she imports seeds from Spain, Italy, and the UK. She grows mother plants in open fields, then propagates from cuttings—raising seedlings in coconut peat trays for three weeks before they’re ready for farms across Kenya.

Looking back, Esther attributes her resilience and vision for her growth from househelp to CEO.

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