Our Growth Story
Our story is that of one man “boldly reimagining the impossible”. The Trade Kings Group story began in 1995 from a garage in the Zambian capital, Lusaka. Not blessed with cutting edge technology or state of the art facilities, Trade Kings founder, Mr. Patel, a Zambian business man with unwavering ambition, relied on his drive, determination, ingenuity and intimate knowledge of the needs of the community around him to achieve what many thought impossible. From a single brand, single product business Trade Kings Group has expanded into ten neighbouring countries, seven subsidiary businesses and manufactures a diverse portfolio of high quality products ranging from laundry detergents and cleaning products to food, beverages and even steel.
Mr. Patel spent his childhood in the village of Mugubudu, Chipata, Eastern Province, later moving to Lusaka. As an adolescent, resourceful and adventurous, the desire to be enterprising came to him naturally. Over weekends, he sourced household provisions from local stores in Lusaka, which he would sell while driving down to Chipata. Years later, armed with meagre capital, he boldly acquired a readymade textile trading outfit, followed by a bakery, which was fitted with equipment manufactured locally. During this time wheat flour was in short supply. To ease the strain on the grain, prompted him to initiate, a then virgin concept at that time, of an “out grower’s scheme” with local wheat farmers. The success of the hot bakery ovens led to trading of fast moving consumer goods across Lusaka and later greater Zambia. Mr. Patel’s connection to Zambia and its people, patriotism, passion for supporting local business and shared value was evident even then. This still remains central to the business through our business partnerships and the Trade Kings Foundation.
In 1995, whilst the world saw a technological genesis in the conceptualisation and birth of global tech companies from the garages of Silicon Valley, USA. Across the sea an African genesis was taking place, as the seed of Trade Kings was being planted in a garage in Lusaka, Zambia where our founder, Mr. Patel, conceived of and tirelessly worked to develop, the now iconic, Blue Boom Detergent Paste and the BOOM brand. And so, from these humble beginnings the Trade Kings story began.
As this era of rapid development, disruption and invention has seen these tech companies become global giants, so to have we seen Trade Kings grow into a jewel of Zambia and the African continent. In contrast to these global giants whose success was based on a deep understanding of global trends and users on a global scale, Trade Kings was founded on the principles of localised insight and connection. A deep understanding of Zambia, its people and their challenges in a country facing difficult economic times following a period of economic and political unrest and uncertainty in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.
It is from the volatility, instability and challenging environment of the domestic and African economy that our flagship brand, BOOM, was born. Our founder understood that the Zambian people required a high quality, locally produced but affordable washing and cleaning solution. He understood need for and multipurpose use of the product. It is this development and the acute attention to detail in addressing these points which continues to make the product successful today.
In the word of Mr. Patel “One should learn to orchestrate harmoniously in chaos despite the odds being faced.”
In the context of tailwinds from economic reform and the opening of the Zambian market, Trade Kings was well positioned for growth. As we grew so too did our ambitions. 1997 and 1998 saw the introduction of new personal care products with the launch of Yebo Carbolic soaps and the Romeo soap brand respectively. During this time the group also began to diversify for the first time with the launch of Super Sweets in 1998. In 2005, following the success of Super Sweets saw further diversification as the group expanded into foods.
In 2006, we launched the highly successful Amazon brand which would go on to be the flagship brand of our confectionary division. Although expansion during this period began with confectionery, the cross pollination of ideas led to the manufacture of lollipops, biscuits, adult and children’s breakfast cereals, potato and maize snacks and soya nuggets. Giving rise to four of our specialist subsidiary businesses. Namely, Yoyo Fun Snacks, Swiss Bake, Big Tree Brands (Royal Oak) and Nyama Soya.
In 2008, an epoch-making event, was the commissioning of Kafue Steel Mills under the banner of Universal Mining and Chemical Industries Limited (UMCIL), which prided itself on state of the art cutting edge technology. In 2017, this plant became fully integrated. The first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa, which now converts raw iron ore to finished steel products through a sophisticated value addition chain.
In 2010, following intensive research and development, new technologies and cutting edge ingredients BOOM Bubble Plus Detergent Powder was launched. Trade Kings Group established itself, as an epitome of quality products. This sparked an intense focus on research and innovation leading to the launch of the Boom Household Range of Home Care products in 2012 and continues to drive a wave of product development, bringing you the quality products you know and love.
Although initially established in 2003, as the first company to release commercially bottled Maheu. The Trade Kings subsidiary, Dairy Gold, as we know it today, was incorporated in 2015, and continues to manufacture a range of nutritious and high quality products from traditional beverages like Maheu to milk shakes and juices. In 2016, the group expanded further entering the beverage category through the establishment of Big Tree Beverages to build a beverage portfolio which spans carbonated soft drinks and fruit juices to energy drinks.
The evolution of Trade Kings is, and has always been, driven by consumer needs and solution based product development from detergent paste to the advanced household cleaners and increasingly specialised personal care products, for which we are known today. At the heart of Trade Kings is a driving belief that all people have the right to access and use high quality products that are affordable. For many years, Trade Kings products provided the Zambian and southern African market access to high quality products at affordable prices providing a product experience often absent in low cost or affordable imported products.
The principle of accessibility and a belief in providing joy and self-confidence to our consumers still drives the business today.
It is this spirit of innovation and the vision to see opportunity during challenging and unstable times that remain the core of Trade Kings. This sense of deep understanding of domestic and regional challenges which drive our product portfolio and ongoing expansion.
Over the past 25 years Trade Kings has seen incredible growth, and though Trade Kings is now a large multinational the essence still remains that of the company founded in Mr Patel’s garage. The same values and ethos that brought them into the homes of Zambians across the country and Africans across the region shall drive Trade Kings onwards. Though the scope has increased, the goal remains the same - products of the highest standards yet within the reach of all consumers, in every home and the desire to be the leaders in local and international manufacturing. From a small family business, to a flagbearer for Zambia and beyond.