Farah Ben Maymoun
Ouassim Machhour
Kaoutar Erroudani
Al Akhawayn University
Mary Grace Neville
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Guermello is a micro-franchise owned by “Taza Valley”, the firm that is known for its high social responsibility standards and contribution towards several good causes like gender equality and fighting poverty through adopting an employment practice where local job applicants are given preferential. This greatly support the local labour market as, since the city is largely non-industrial, there are few stable job opportunities for locals. Moreover, the company has adopted a unified salary scale for both genders which insures equality between all employees in the firm. Guermello was launched in 2017, a micro-franchise selling dried fruits through fixed and mobile sale places. The whole project is financed from one of the public microcredit companies.
More than sixty people are already benefiting from the program. Discussions with oil companies for the installation of fixed units for a monthly rent are underway.
The social commitment of the project is demonstrated through its sales people: single women with children, former prisoners, young women who couldn’t finish their studies... Guermello is a concept that seduces since, according to Kassal, "the first results sound encouraging and promising ".
The innovation consists of providing young poor men and women with selling facilities (small vehicles) where they can sell dry fruits to the locals and tourists in several cities in Morocco.
According to Mr. Kassal, the company won the prize for social innovation within three months of its launch during the Africa Development Forum, held on March 16, in Casablanca (see www.leseco.ma).
Hammad Kassal’s project Guermello shines due to its pragmatic and innovative character. The aim of Mr. Kassal was not only to create a concept promoting the Moroccan soil’s products but also to give the opportunity to the unemployed to become entrepreneurs.
This innovation is unique because it adheres to more modern health and safety standards than the "Guellaya" (traditional dried fruits sellers) known for the absence of hygiene. This project is also different from others because it offers several alternatives to entrepreneurs who are interested in the project. For example, young entrepreneurs who want to invest a small amount can start by selling Guermello products using customized Guermello bicycles, while those who want to invest a lot can invest and open their own "brick-mortar" stores.
The statements and declarations made by the Minister of Finance, Nizar Baraka during a recent general meeting to discuss the economic situation of the country attracted very strong reactions from economists and financial experts. He declared that the economic indicators of the Moroccan economy are bad and that the economic crisis seems to be turning into a social crisis.
Mr. Hammad Kassal told us that when he heard about what the Minister of Finance declared, he found the situation truly scandalous as the banks are making profits by billions of Dirhams while the rest of the country is impoverished.
Hammad Kassal then suggested a number of proposals for a way out of the crisis which gave birth to the idea of Guermello. No matter how bad the situation is, there are always solutions to discover.
The innovation that Guermello offers had a remarkable impact on the business itself, the Moroccan society and the environment. The main objective of this project was to develop micro-franchises which is a new concept that focuses on creating opportunities to poor people and promoting economic development. "This concept is part of a social entrepreneurship aimed at fostering the creation of micro-franchises," says Hammad Kassal, CEO. By doing so, Guermello is contributing to the development of the Moroccan economy through creating job opportunities for people who lack fundamental entrepreneurial skills.
By providing young men and widowed women with facilities and selling points, Guermello has introduced the Moroccan society to a new framework of self-employment. According to Hammad Kassal, this project aims at providing Moroccan young men with jobs by which they can generate profit and make a living, as well as allowing poor and widowed women, producing organic oils and dried fruits, to display and sell their products on the market. The Guermello initiative had a positive impact on the Moroccan society, and as a result, it has received “The Attijariwafa Bank Africa Forum Social Innovation Award”.
When it comes to the environment, Guermello works on reducing the damage of its operations through providing people with environmentally friendly vehicles in which they can market and sell the dried fruits. This allows the business to ensure the respect of the local environment and the standards of hygiene.
The innovation presents the company with various advantages, first considering the reputation of the company; “Taza Valley” will become known for being environmentally friendly due to its initiative to fight against hygiene issues , and for providing more job opportunities for disadvantaged women and men around Morocco. In addition to this, according to Kassal "Guermello project has significantly increased the business profits in the recent few years".
Since Taza valley has a partnership with the government it benefits from an annual budget dedicated to small companies, in return Taza valley employees local unemployed men and women from the region.
Thanks to this project, many of the Moroccan young men and women are now able to make a living and provide for their families. Guermello has an agreement with the government that consists of: offering jobs to the lower social class to receive in return a small contribution from the government to help them improve the business.
The project is attracting interest from the local population, associations and local business communities. "We already have 73 points of sale and we are negotiating with several town halls," says Kassal. Note that each point of sale is held by 2 people which represents about 150 direct jobs - a figure that the founder aspires to increase to 300 by the end of 2017. In addition to creating more employment opportunities, the project will facilitate the transition from informal to formal employment and the activity will be modernized.
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Hammad Kassal, CEO
Taza Valley is a "PME" micro-enterprise based in Casablanca and specialized in selling a premium quality dried fruit in Morocco. It was founded by Hammad Kassal, who is also a Part-time lecturer at Al-Akhawayn University, a social economist and a former president of PME Federation in Morocco. The company is engaged in social responsibility activities mainly through its "Guermello" project. The company distinguished itself by helping poor young people and widowed women by offering them job opportunities.