Trading Powerhouse East African Expands into Ecommerce, Partners with Chapa for Payments

East African Trading House (EATH), a major player in Ethiopia’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, is entering the ecommerce space with its new platform, Besh Gebeya. EATH has also partnered with Chapa Financial Technologies to streamline its payment processes.

The strategic partnership was announced early Tuesday morning at EATH’s headquarters. Through this collaboration, EATH’s extensive network of suppliers, customers, and partners will gain access to the Besh Gebeya ecommerce platform, which is equipped with a digital payment infrastructure supporting mobile money, bank transfers, and credit and debit card transactions.

Yonan Getachew, a Technology Developer at EATH, revealed that a year of collaboration preceded the development of the platform. He also mentioned that the delivery services will be outsourced to a third-party company. “Some integration procedures are still underway,” Yonan told Shega.

The digital commerce platform is set to launch next month, with plans for ongoing updates based on customer feedback.

Founded in 2017, EATH aims to become the largest distribution company in Ethiopia by merging 16 private limited companies (PLCs) that had been operating for 20 years. The company’s primary mission is to distribute products from these companies. EATH has established Besh Gebeya outlets in Addis Ababa and Bahir Dar, located in the Amhara Regional State, and continues to provide wholesale distribution services in several other regional cities.

East African Holding, the parent company, is one of Ethiopia’s largest conglomerates, with over 20 brands spanning various sectors and more than 10,000 employees. Besides the FMCG sector, the company is involved in areas such as agribusiness, logistics and distribution, real estate development, cement production, and mining.

Chapa, which has integrated with 18 commercial banks in Ethiopia, has also shown recent interest in partnering with Chinese ecommerce giant AliExpress.