By Beverly Bizeki
Eben Hardware founder and director Benonia Machavuda has added another accolade to her
growing list of achievements after being named first runner-up in the Businesswoman of the
Year category at the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) awards held in
Masvingo.
The latest recognition brings her total number of business awards to 10, including five from
ZNCC, highlighting her growth as an entrepreneur in Zimbabwe’s challenging economic
environment.
Machavuda said the recognition was an encouragement to continue building her business and
making a difference in the agricultural sector.
“I am grateful for the recognition by ZNCC; it shows that the hard work and effort that I put
in my work is being recognised by others as I strive to make an impact in the work that I am
doing.
“I am also grateful for my team at Eben Hardware, which makes this possible through our
collaborative efforts to serve and deliver the best in terms of agricultural products provision,”
said Machavuda.
Her journey into the agricultural supply business was shaped by her personal experience as a
poultry farmer, where she encountered challenges that exposed gaps in the availability of
quality products and support services for farmers.
She said the experience inspired her to establish Eben Hardware in 2014 to address some of
the challenges facing farmers.
“Before venturing into this business, I was a poultry farmer myself, and I came across
challenges such as lack of quality products, lack of proper training and follow-ups from
service providers, which challenged me into wanting to venture into the business to counter
the ills that most farmers were facing, and that was how Eben Hardware was birthed in
2014,” said Machavuda.
Machavuda said the business had since placed customer support, farmer training and follow-
up services at the centre of its operations, with a focus on helping farmers move from
subsistence to commercial production.
“At Eben Hardware we are more concerned about growing farmers’ capacity from
subsistence farming to commercial. We are not only concerned about getting money from our
customers but about making sure their businesses do well so that they can grow and in turn
contribute to economic development This is why we offer trainings to willing farmers, farm
visits and vaccination programmes for farmers,” she said.
Eben Hardware currently operates four branches, two in Masvingo city, with the other outlets
located in Neshuro and Gutu.
Machavuda holds a Bachelor of Science Honours degree from the University of Zimbabwe, a
Postgraduate Diploma in Education from Midlands State University, and a Bachelor of
Science Honours degree in Statistics and Operations Research from Great Zimbabwe
University
