By Caroline Washaya Moyo
Varun Beverages Zimbabwe and Mozambique is targeting the introduction of 1,000 additional pushcarts in 2027, in a move expected to create new economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs, informal traders and small businesses.
The initiative forms part of a broader vision to help women move from informal trading into sustainable businesses, access corporate supply chains and eventually expand into regional markets.
Speaking at the Women Trade and Leadership Summit 2026 in Harare, Varun Beverages Zimbabwe and Mozambique chief executive officer Vijay Kumar said the company was engaging local government authorities to establish the regulatory requirements for the planned expansion and ensure compliance with government policies.
Kumar said empowering women economically required more than encouraging them to start businesses. It also meant giving them access to markets, finance, reliable customers and opportunities to grow.
Beyond the pushcart programme, the company is opening up opportunities for local enterprises to supply packaging materials, labels, cartons, pallets, transport and logistics services, marketing support and agricultural products, including milk and farm produce.
The company is also exploring recycling initiatives focused on plastic bottle collection and the recovery of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging, potentially creating additional opportunities for entrepreneurs participating in the recycling value chain.
Kumar said women-led businesses could become valuable suppliers if given a fair opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities. He identified four key requirements for businesses seeking to work with the company: formal registration, tax compliance, a business bank account and a clean business record.
Proper financial records and consistent delivery were equally important, he said, encouraging entrepreneurs to start with manageable orders and build a reliable track record before expanding their operations.
“Your books are your best collateral with the bank and with us,” Kumar said.
He urged corporates, including his own company, to open procurement opportunities to women-led suppliers, mentor them to meet required standards and pay them on time. He also called for businesses to publish annual figures showing how many new women suppliers they had engaged.
Timely payments, he said, were essential to the survival of small businesses, which often operate with limited working capital.
Kumar also challenged financial institutions to reconsider lending models that rely heavily on land titles and other physical collateral, arguing that cash flow, trading history and demonstrated business performance should carry greater weight in credit decisions.
Many women sustain their families through years of informal trading but remain excluded from formal finance because they lack conventional collateral or the documentation required by lenders.
Kumar said Varun Beverages was exploring ways to extend financial support to informal traders based on their established trading relationships and past performance.
“We are the ones who are going to support the vendor, the woman on the street, with financial support also as we grow,” he said.
He added that government could help women traders grow by providing safe, formal trading spaces and simplifying licensing procedures for vendors and cross-border traders.
Kumar’s remarks highlighted the need to bridge the gap between women’s economic participation and their access to formal business opportunities. For many women, the challenge is not a lack of entrepreneurial ability, but limited access to capital, markets and the systems needed to grow beyond subsistence trading.
Regional trade presents another opportunity. Kumar said the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offered access to a continental market of more than one billion people, creating scope for Zimbabwean women-led enterprises to expand beyond the domestic market.
Varun Beverages operates in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and five other African countries, with plans to add one or two countries to its footprint annually. Its long-term ambition is to establish a presence across all 54 African countries.
Kumar said the company’s regional network could help Zimbabwean suppliers that meet its standards explore opportunities in other African markets. He encouraged women-led enterprises to collaborate, innovate and jointly pursue larger contracts that might be difficult for individual small businesses to secure.
“Do not wait to be invited. You are already qualified,” he told women entrepreneurs.
Drawing on the experience of former PepsiCo chief executive Indra Nooyi, Kumar stressed the responsibility of leaders to create opportunities for other women and help the next generation advance.
He envisioned a future in which women farmers receive timely payment for their produce, vendors grow into distributors and small suppliers become regional exporters.
Such progress, he said, would demonstrate the wider impact of business partnerships that give women the tools and opportunities to grow.
“Let us measure our success by one number: how many women rise with us?” Kumar said.
The planned pushcart expansion and supplier development opportunities could help women entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses, create livelihoods and participate more fully in Zimbabwe’s formal economy, while positioning capable enterprises to compete in regional markets.
