BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Union Service Stores Company Limited (USSL Ltd) started as a family owned business for animal production in 1992. Through the challenges in search of quality animal feed they started to produce own animal food at home. They started selling to other people and got an expanding market demand where they started buying machines for producing more. In 2002 the company was officially registered to the registrar of company by company ordinance (cap.212) with headquarters in Karanga industrial area Moshi, Kilimanjaro region in the United Republic of Tanzania. Initially it started as producers of own animal feed but the idea grew into producing more for sale through customers satisfaction on the quality of the products which drove them to open an agricultural trading shop for agricultural inputs, animal feed and quality maize flour milling machine. From these humble beginnings the company has grown and transformed into a respected grain processing company, agribusiness and agricultural inputs supplier in the northern zone.
WHO WE ARE
USSL is a private Limited company owned by the family of Mr. Evarist Silayo and Mrs. Fabronia Silayo business entrepreneurs in Moshi district, Kilimanjaro region in the united republic of Tanzania. USSL processes grain to obtain flour for human consumption and other grain related products barley, sorghum and other grains for the beer industry. USSL also mills animal feed. The feeds are for poultry, dairy, pigs and goats. USSL also deals with grain aggregation business whereby we buy grains such as maize, beans, barley and sorghum from farmers and we add value to grain then we sell it to companies in the milling sector and beer industry. USSL has played a major role in improving farmer’s lives by buying straight from farmers and farmers groups and offering proper market prices
Our Core Values
In order to achieve its mission and vision Union Service Stores CO. Ltd will evolve to adopt the following core values:
We shall produce quality products at affordable prices to our customers. To ensure this we shall make sure that we produce products that are needed by our customers at a price which they are willing to pay.
2. Dedicated ServiceWe shall make sure that customers are fore most to be served and listened.
3. ConsistenceOur products and services will be available and disposal to our customers at the time they need and in the right time.
4. IntegrityWe shall deliver our services to our customers with a high degree of integrity. Our employees will always ensure that our customers receive the first and foremost respect, care and concern.
5. ProfessionalismWe shall dedicate our efforts in employing, recruiting and developing professionalism among our team.
6. GrowthWe believe in bringing our company into the next level thus reach a higher degree of excellence.
OUR OBJECTIVES
Trading, processing and sell of agricultural inputs and agriculture cash crops with a more emphasis on beans, barley, maize ,sorghum, pulses and other sorts of grains.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE1. Process barley, maize and sorghum for brewing company.
2. Perform aggregation services to farmer and farmer groups
3. Provide warehouse administration and custodian services through warehouses at Karatu.
4. Sell and distribute agricultural inputs and supplies to customers.
5. Deal with farming and farm produces including animal keeping and products.
6. Sell and distribute by products from animal feed milling.
7. Produce and sell quality mill maize flour at customers affordable prices.
Our Team
Union Service Stores Company Limited successfull Team members
Mr. Evarist Silayo
Managing Director
Mrs. Febronia Silayo
Assistant Managing Director
Mr. Vitalis Kimario
Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Martin Silayo
Production Manager
Mr. John Kyara
Operations
Mr. Erick Silayo
Marketing Manager
Mr. Emmanuel Evarist
Human ResourcesOur Clients
Some of our satisfied clients with testimonials to tell.
TARGET MARKET
Brewers, farmers and farmer groups, customers and consumers of USSL. We provide these services through interrelated services in our product value chain as narrated below:
USSL is well equipped with go-downs and warehouses that are able to store up to 10000 metric tonnes of grain located at Karatu district in Arusha region. The warehouses are able to store grains for supplies to the factory in Moshi.
• Animal FeedEquipped with a animal feed mill that has the capacity of producing more than 250 metric tons in 24hrs, our machinery is one of a kind that ensures feed quality through mixing efficiency. Together with good formulations, our feed section gives us the upper hand in production cost mainly because of the quantity capacity.
• Contract MillingWith the capacity of producing over 40 metric tons in 12hrs our milling section has gained Milling, supply and onside storage contracts from breweries for Maize flour and other grains. Furthermore USSL has expanded in this sector through acquisition of machineries, the cleaning machines that will clean grains to remove impurities before they enter into machineries. A modern weigh bridge has been constructed to weigh grains to and fro the milling factory for proper weight measurements.
• Sango FarmThis farm is situated at Sango village closer to Moshi town and it is specialized demonstration for poultry farming together with mixed cattle and pigs. The animal farm has the capacity to keep 20,000 flocks of chicken, 300 pigs and 15 dairy cows at one time, about 4 acres are surveyed and issued with title deed.
• Chekereni FarmThis is a mixed farm situated at Kyomu village in Moshi rural district measuring 75 acres with 20 acres surveyed and issued title deed. With buildings that have the capacity of holding 1,000pigs and 50 dairy cows and more than 50 acres of farmed land, the farm is used as a training and demonstration center of achieving in agriculture at low-cost.
BUSINESS EXPANSION
USSL is currently exploring alternatives so as to increase its machinery and expand and renovate the company to carter for the needs of the clients. To make this feasible a new mobile cleanings machine and a standard and modern weighbridge has been erected so as to have accuracy loads to and fro the factory.
4.1 Working capitalThe company has used most of its capital for installation of the feed and milling plant. Unfortunately, Costs of installation exceeded the projected budget by a margin and as a result, the company is forced to liquidate some of its idle assets so as to get working capital. In order to meet the company`s vision USSL is struggling to get fund from financial institutions or donors to enable aquisition of more machineries and the infrustructure so that the company become the lead in milling and processing in East Africa.
4.2 Grain ContractsCurrently, the company has a standing two year contract with Breweries for the milling and supply of grains that could in the long run amount to more than 2,000tons a month. However, due to limitation of working capital the company cannot manage. We have also signed another contract for storage and supply of maize grits to Moshi, Dar and Mwanza factories. About 360 MT of maize grits required per month.
DIRECT BENEFICIARIES
The families and dependents to these classes by utilizing the aids economically and useful to generate more sustainable family incomes to evade dependence on aids but working hard for reproductive economic activities that will foster self-reliance and poverty alleviation. USSL seeks to collaborate with social partners (governments, NGOs, CSOs and other private sectors) in order to meet these objectives.
For the purpose of the objectives are met any beneficiary to this program will enter into transformation classes upon successfully graduation then empowerment will be done. After getting the aid there will be follow up, counseling, monitoring and evaluation to observe the achievement of the programs
FUNDAMENTAL NEED
There are a great number of displaced and unprivileged people in the world. In many places some are capable of having only one meal a day where as in other places people die on starvation. In Tanzania for example many poor families per capital income is under 1 dollar a day thus making people beggars. There are people who are subjected into natural calamities thus living in stressed lives. This involves girls with forced early childhood marriages and /or genital circumcision, street children caused by divorce of parents, elderly people discarded by their families and left alone without help, old grandmas displaced by fellow villages because of witchcrafts suspicious, poor families which live under severe poverty who cannot take their children to school and many other affected by severe poverty.
The government and many other organization and association have been helping the poor by giving them financial aids or any other support but this has never taken them to the second stage of life – self-reliance. Each and every time empowerment is granted the life of the beneficiaries does not change so they keep on living under vicious cycle of poverty that is if the person was a beggar he will keep on begging.
USSL comes with another modal instead of giving on grants every time it starts with transformation – changing the mindset of the beneficiary first. To know that he/she has to get out of such state by using the spiritual, transformation, capacity building and any other facets that will change totally the ways of thinking, habit, customs etc after assuring that one is being transformed that he/ she can be empowered and a follow up and monitoring and evaluation of the grant follow the greater aim is making them self-reliant.