Toj Tabii Juice

Past ProjectTajikistanSDG1 - End PovertySDG8 - Decent Work/Economic DevelopmentSDG12 - Responsible Consumption/Production

Sep 14

Written By Guest User

Toj Tabii Juice became a Professionals International project partner in 2021 to start a new venture and increase their impact. The project was unable to become sustainable and finished with Professionals International in 2026 as it finished up its latest agreement.

Significant Challenge/s

Migrant laborers and their families pay many unforeseen costs to earn money abroad. Disruptions in family structures with role and responsibility shifts affect individuals and family units, which then extend to the surrounding culture and society.

Tajikistan, a remittance dependent country, understands these issues well and has taken steps to address the challenges placed on its people and society due to high levels of migrant labor. Some of these steps include incentivizing local small business, including those directly related to agriculture and production of local goods.

Satisfying Solution

In response to this existing market and untapped local potential, Toj Tabii sought to establish a network of independent regional juice producers who were marketing and distributing under one brand. Regional production would remain relatively small scale with 30-50k liters per micro production facility but with a goal of 100-150k liters being marketed and distributed through the brand in the main city markets around the country. Toj Tabii aimed to do this by starting two new independently owned and financially sustainable micro-production facilities in the next three years. Including an existing partnership with one production facility in the mountainous eastern part of the country, Toj Tabii planned to incrementally transfer majority ownership of the brand to the association of independent producers, including profit sharing to match ownership.

Business activities geared No Poverty, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Responsible Consumption and Production:

Target: Promote and support men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, through access to economic resources, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, natural resources, and appropriate new technology. (Adapted from Target 1.4)

Target: Promote and support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises. (Adapted from Target 8.4)

Target: Promote the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.

Stories of Substantial Benefits

2021 — Getting started

Toj Tabii began with the goal of developing a local juice business that could turn regional fruit—including second-sort fruit that might otherwise go to waste—into a marketable product. The longer-term vision was to develop a network of regional producers operating under a shared brand.

Early work focused on finding a suitable production facility, identifying equipment, and testing the market. By the end of the year, Toj Tabii had one full-time employee, had sold its first 200 liters of juice, and had used approximately two tons of second-sort fruit. An early visit to another small juice producer also highlighted the importance of improving packaging and continuing to innovate.

2022 — Moving into production

Toj Tabii moved from planning to actual production in 2022. A production room was rented and remodeled, and equipment was ordered, although shipping delays—including disruptions related to the war in Ukraine—pushed the launch later than expected.

While waiting for the juice equipment, the project distributed products from a local goat dairy, creating income and employment while the juice operation was being established. By October, the production facility was operational and producing an average of about 300 liters of juice per day. Two full-time employees were earning a living wage, while the business began building relationships with farmers, local shops, restaurants, and other members of the community.

2023 — Building a local market

With production established, Toj Tabii focused on improving its process, expanding its market, and strengthening relationships with local fruit producers. New equipment improved bottling and sorting, while the business continued working toward greater production capacity.

The juice became increasingly well known in Panjakent, where it was the only locally produced juice of its kind. Restaurants began requesting the product, and sales in the regional market were stronger than in the capital.

One of the project's most meaningful developments was the growing relationship with surrounding fruit growers. As word spread that Toj Tabii was purchasing apples, families from nearby villages began bringing even small quantities of fruit to sell. This provided an additional source of income for families while helping put fruit that might otherwise go unused into the local economy. By the end of the year, Toj Tabii had sold more than 7,000 liters of juice and generated nearly $12,000 in reported local economic activity.

2024–2025 — Transition and closure

In 2024, Toj Tabii entered a period of transition as the original project leader left, and new juice production was put on hold. Although they were creating some impact, it was increasingly difficult to maintain and grow. Although Toj Tabii did not continue as originally envisioned, the project successfully established a functioning local juice operation, created employment, connected local families with a new market for their fruit, and demonstrated how an overlooked regional resource could be turned into economic opportunity.

Production remained paused through 2025, and the ProsIntl project eventually came to a close.