Growing up, Rosemary Arinaitwe dreamt of being an entrepreneur to help solve the unemployment problem. Years later after school, she decided to start a business by adding value to matooke which her family and neigbours in Kisyoro cell Kabuyanda sub-county, Isingiro district grow on a large scale.
In December 2020, the 34-year-old birthed Rose Taste Wine Company from scratch. She would get the raw materials such as matooke and fruit ingredients from her farm. She has grown the company from producing one jerrycan to 10 drums of 120 litres every six months. It is located in Isingiro district.
She distills different brands of liquor and juice including; Red Rose Sweet Wine, Red Rose Sweet Banana Juice, and Rose Waragi as a bi-product.
“My products are certified by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), and the demand grows every day,” she says.
“I offer employment to 10 youth and buy matooke from the villagers,” she says.
Arinaitwe also trains youth in wine making skills.
She juggles her business with her banking assistant job at a SACCO.
On what makes her tick, Arinaitwe is determined to achieve her goal of becoming a successful entrepreneur through value addition.
“I am working on expanding the company to provide more jobs to people,” she divulges.
Arinaitwe adds that being a single mother, things were tough for her but God has seen her through and He makes her tick.
On the other hand, Arinaitwe draws inspiration from President Yoweri Museveni and admires his vision to empower youth through the many initiatives in place such as Emyooga.
“I want to tap into his knowledge to help me grow my wine business,” she says.
She also admires the First Lady, Mrs. Janet Museveni for being gentle and soft-spoken with a heart for people regardless of where they hail from.
Future prospects
In the next 10 years, Arinaitwe sees herself owning a big wine company. She bought land for the factory and is now saving towards construction. Arinaitwe is a graduate of development studies.
