While hiking Mt Longonot for the first time with her partner Mark Kiarie, Farhia Elmoge had an experience that taught her a painful lesson about hiking.
Like most first-time hikers, Farhia thought it was wise to pack clothes suited for different weather conditions in her bag, to prepare herself in case the weather at Longonot changed abruptly.
“This unfortunately meant that I had more luggage to carry, across a trail that is normally unforgivingly hot and extensive,” posed Farhia in an interview with Powering SMEs.
The experience left her with an aching back and an exhausted body, which like most first-time hikers, made her never want to go for another hike again.
“A lot of people come to hate hiking, not because the hike itself is bad, but because they may not have the proper gear for the hike,” remarked Farhia.
Her passion for fitness however pushed her to continue hiking to different destinations, during which she explored different hiking gear as advised by her hiking guide.
During this phase, she noticed something interesting, all the hiking gear she tried out were manufactured by foreign companies, which meant that to some extent, they could not meet all local hiking needs.
In March 2024, she decided to take a risk and start a homegrown outdoor gear retail brand that would design jackets that addressed the local market needs.
“Our end goal was to design the full hiking gear, but we decided to start with jackets, which my husband really loves to wear even when he is going to work, just to test the market,” said Farhia.
The jackets would need to not only be technical, meaning they could perform well on hikes and mountain climbs, but also cool, meaning they could be worn to work, to meet friends or to go for other outings.
“Most of us only wear hiking gear once a month. The serious hikers might do it twice or thrice. Hiking gear is generally expensive, and we thought it is unfair to charge someone so much for an outfit they seldom wear,” she noted.
Coincidentally, at the time that the business idea popped up, Farhia had just finished a mentorship program, Jasiri, that had provided her with insights on how to successfully launch a business. This, coupled with her background in design and architecture, would provide her with the foundation that she would need to launch her new venture, which they would call Batian Peak.
Farhia Elmoge pictured with Batian Peak co-founder Mark Kiarie.
Photo credit: Pool
“Batian is a Maasai word which means to fatten or improve. It is also the highest point in Mt Kenya. Just as the peak rises 5199 metres above sea level, this name captured our aspiration to grow as a brand,” said Kiarie.
As they did not have much of a background in hiking, the couple asked a friend who was active in various outdoor communities, to introduce them to the community. “To build high performance hiking gear, we had to become pro hikers ourselves,” said Kiarie.
They launched a challenge called ‘Road to Batian Peak’, where they hiked various trails across Kenya while engaging outdoor communities on social media through short videos. The goal was to gather insights on what works well and identify areas for improvement before officially rolling out the jackets.
“In hiking, the small details make all the difference. For instance, whether or not the jacket pockets have fleeces can determine whether or not one will get frost bites, which can be a big issue in high altitudes,” said Kiarie.
After months of research, the duo had learned enough to finalise on the designs and catalogue for the first collection.
“This collection was inspired by the essentials every hiker requires, and that is the 3 layers,” explained Farhia.
A base layer would keep the skin comfortable; a mid layer would keep them warm, and a shell or outer layer would protect them from elements like wind, rain, and snow.
Batian Peak co-founder Farhia Elmoge, during a hike in Karura Forest.
Photo credit: Pool
“We categorised them as jackets built for cold, for the wind and for the rain. These were: puffer jackets, puffer vests, soft shells, rain jackets, and fleeces for both men and ladies,” noted Farhia.
They partnered with a Chinese manufacturer to produce a sample, which they would wear everywhere to test in real conditions and identify areas for product improvements.
“We also made a trip to South Africa, to our favourite outdoor brands- the North Face and Patagonia, just to understand the materials they use, and to test the quality of their jackets against our samples,” said Farhia. Finally, after months of testing and improving, the first half of their first collection, which included ladies' soft shells, men’s soft shells, fleece, and rain jackets, arrived.
“This was such a surreal moment for us. We were so overwhelmed by the reception and the inquiries we got on the jackets. We even sold out the purple shell jacket for the ladies,” remarked Farhia.
After years of striving to set up the business, Farhia says that she is finally happy to have rolled out a product that is acceptable in the market, with multiple products selling out within weeks of launch.
“It has been a crazy journey with epic highs and lows that have made us stronger. We are still learning as we go along on how to run things properly with the suppliers, fabrics, marketing, among other things,” said Farhia.
Within the next five years, it is estimated that the hiking community in Kenya could grow dramatically, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, which pushed people to discover new places to unwind.
As one of the outdoor gear brands that will be responsible for serving this market, Batian Peak’s plan is to continue investing in creating thoughtful and practical items to those interested in exploring the outdoors.
These include bags and boots that are light, to enable hikers to focus more on how their bodies are responding to different weather during the hike and less on what they are wearing or carrying.
“When climbing Mt Kenya for instance, the air becomes thinner and colder as you go up so you need enough warm clothes. But if they are too heavy, your back will hurt because at the same time, you need to carry around 3 litres of water, plus some snacks,” explained Farhia.
