Harvard University students tour Kasapreko

A group of 60 students from the Harvard University in the United States on Monday toured the Kasapreko Company Limited in Accra.

This was to enable the students gain a deeper understanding of the corporate world in Ghana and Africa.

The students, who are on a 10-day industrial visit to Ghana, were led by Professor Dina Pomeranz, lecturer at the Harvard Business School.

Dr Kwabena Adjei, the Founder and Group Chairman of Kasapreko Company Ltd, who is also a product of the Harvard Business School, said the Company was founded in 1989 in response to the growing demand for good-quality alcoholic drinks that were still within the means of the average Ghanaian.

He said from a humble beginning of five staff, the Company now has a staff strength of over 600.

He said for one to be a successful entrepreneur, he or she must be firm in decision-making; stating that “the business world is a journey which has got its ups and downs, and you need to keep going.”

“No excuses in business! Once you set your mind to do something, yours is to go ahead,” he said.

The Group Chairman urged the students to see themselves as the light of the world and future leaders.

He said as part of efforts to provide practical industrial experience for Ghanaian students, the Company would in the near future provide a bus for students to be conveyed from their various campuses to the factory; anytime they want to embark on industrial tour.

Mr Richard Adjei, the Managing Director of the Kasapreko Company Ltd, said the Company was the first of the local manufacturers to establish a modern quality control and product development laboratory and the first to introduce their own proprietary bespoke bottles and caps.

He said the Company with the state-of-the art automated factory machines, has over 21 brands cutting across alcoholic and non-alcoholic categories of drinks.

He said their products such as their premier brand, Kasakreko Alomo Bitters were being exported to neighbouring West African countries such as Nigeria, Togo, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.

Professor Pomeranz said they were in the country to learn about the business and the corporate world and to observe how things were being done by them.

Mr Kobina Awuah, an old student of Harvard Business School, who facilitated the visit, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, lauded the Founder for his impressive achievements and visionary leadership.

The Group Chairman conducted the students round the factory as they toured the newly commissioned $ 70 million bottling plant, which was commissioned last year.