After Cornell team’s visit to the production site, they began the data collection process. This part of the research sought to explore, understand and quantify the domestic market for essential oils. Following their initial meeting with Ikirezi staff, the team developed a survey questionnaire for collecting relevant data. With a special focus on hotels, spas, and high-end supermarkets in touristic areas, the team hit the road on Thursday January 12th to collect data in the cities of Kigali, Musanze, Gisenyi, Huye, and Nyanza. With a population of over 1 million people, Kigali is the largest city and serves as the capital of Rwanda. It is evident that it is also one of the fastest growing cities in Africa. Musanze is Rwanda's most mountainous district, containing the largest part of the Volcanoes National Park. Home to the mountain gorillas, Musanze is the most popular tourist destination in the country. Gisenyi is a resort town on the shore of Lake Kivu and borders Goma, the busy and lively town of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Huye, the former colonial capital of Rwanda, is famous today for its high number of college and university students. The team visited hotels, spas, cosmetic shops, restaurants, and supermarkets conducting interviews with the managers and staff. These interviews provided an opportunity for the team members to observe the business culture of Rwanda. The country’s booming tourism sector was apparent by the number of new hotels in Gisenyi and Musanze. According to the Rwanda Development Board, the number of tourist arrivals in Rwanda has more than doubled since 2010 contributing to the country’s increased revenue. The unique value chain of Ikirezi’s products was the leading factor that sparked tremendous interest in the product by the people surveyed. From Ikirezi’s work and engagement with farmers to improve their livelihoods to the quality of their Rwandan ‘branded’’ products, people were engaged and wanted to learn more. Moreover, findings from market research showed that the word of mouth was the most popular channel through which people learn about Ikirezi. As we continued our journey from Musanze to Gisenyi, the team had opportunity to visit the border between Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). There was a striking difference on both sides of the border. On the one side, Rwanda seemed very organized with modern immigration systems. On the other hand, the DRC seemed to have a hectic and busy posture with less structured systems. . After visiting our last destinations--Huye and Nyanza---the team arrived back in Kigali and began the data analysis process. The preliminary findings were presented to Ikirezi.
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