Join us for this episode with Zelalem Muluken, Founder and Chairperson of Zebym Trading, the company behind natural and healthy beverages like Melkam Moringa. For the past eight years, he has been shaping Ethiopia’s beverage industry. In this episode, Zelalem walks us through his story, starting from his early life and career to the moment he decided to invent his own formula and enter a market filled with established giants. He shares the journey of building Zebym, competing for shelf space, navigating operational challenges, and finding a way into the market. Zelalem also talks about leadership, resilience, and the lessons he has learned while growing a company focused on health, quality, and innovation. More from our partners: Dashen Bank Website: https://dashenbanksc.com Telegram: https://t.me/DashenBankEthiopia Noah Real Estate Website: https://noahrealestateplc.com/ BPO Partnership Form: https://forms.gle/PsAVBP1vXCvhKXFP6 abetlabs.com GIZ: https://www.giz.de/de/downloads/giz2023-en-private-sector-development-in-ethiopia.pdf To advertise on Meri: https://meri.et/advertise 00:00 - Introduction 02:41 - opening 03:57 - Background 10:00 - From a dream to reality 21:04 - Process: from manufacturing to marketing 26:04 - Product development 31:27 - Operating capacity 34:24 - Sales and distribution 36:55 - Sandbox model for beverage companies 43:16 - Acquisition offers 51:57 - Scaling up 56:19 - Operating at a full capacity 01:02:13 - Leadership style 01:21:20 - Last thoughts 01:28:09 - Wisdom Social Links https://t.me/MERI_PODCAST https://twitter.com/MERI_Podcast https://www.instagram.com/meripodcast/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzKNuQ80qNSpt2x-7dsazJg https://youtube.com/@Meriwoch?si=yIpJ3byprnVNwKi1 https://youtube.com/@mericlipset?si=wwa0KeQ_Nv2aPy9l https://www.tiktok.com/@meripodcast https://www.linkedin.com/company/meriethiopian/ Copyright Notice for Meri Podcast: All rights reserved. The content featured in this podcast is protected by copyright laws. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or modification of any portion of this podcast is strictly prohibited. For permission to use our content, please contact us at info@meri.et Thank you for respecting our copyright.