Molli-Juunza’s Tilapia, Shiloka Kachabe
Shiloka Kachabe started the family-owned tilapia business in 2016. At the time, they developed a perfect tilapia product on their farm in Troy, Virginia. To share the tasty fruits of their labor with the whole community, they founded Molli-Juunza’s Tilapia. As a responsive local fish vendor, Molli-Juunza mainly sells fresh, whole tilapia to retail grocers, chefs, and individuals who like to cook. They also sell herbs, such as basil and mint, and super hot peppers as condiments.
The top principle of Molli-Juunza is freshness. With a unique aquaculture approach, Molli-Juunza can guarantee to delivery of fresh, never-frozen tilapia, within hours of harvest. In addition, it leads to a smaller ecological footprint.
Since the business began, Shiloka has been thinking about how to make the company better. When he was asked what, if anything, would he do differently looking back on his business, Shiloka said, “I would have raised more capital and built better, more durable production systems. I would have started marketing much earlier than I did and I would have also hired help more often to reduce burnout.” Recommended by a friend, Shiloka reached out to SCORE Central Virginia for help. A well-seasoned mentor, Steve Cooper, became his mentor. To Shiloka, Steve’s contribution has been invaluable. “Steve has helped me review numerous documents and encouraged me when things were not going well. He has advised me on how to proceed when I was unclear and has been a great sounding board for my ideas. It is hard to quantify how tremendous of a help he has been to me,” Shiloka said.
Currently, Molli-Juunza is relocating and planning for its business to thrive with the help of the SCORE Central Virginia chapter.
Upon meeting with a SCORE client, I will develop a cash flow in order to determine the viability of...