Leading woman entrepreneur shares challenges of own career
By Bita Mir-Azimi
Staff writers
Fahimeh Dokhanchi, a 45-year-old manager of a food processing factory in Tabriz, the capital city of East Azerbaijan Province in northwestern Iran, has made her mark as the first exporter of egg powder in the country.
She began her entrepreneurial career over two decades ago with her husband and has been acclaimed multiple times as the northwestern province’s top entrepreneur, according to Persian-language daily Iran.
Dokhanchi focuses on producing a variety of food products, including egg powder, sports and protein supplements, various types of Yufka dough, Baklava, and paper bags. She has directly employed 350 individuals and has created indirect jobs for more than three times as many.
Pointing to egg powder production, Dokhanchi noted, “Eggs are the most perishable food item and cannot be stored. The best way to utilize them efficiently is through processing.”
With this in mind, her company has extended the shelf life of eggs from one month to two years through processing, this is while, egg production in the country has been done in conventional ways, which posed challenges for exports.
Now, converting eggs into powder has significantly enhanced the potential for exporting to neighboring countries.
Dokhanchi also highlighted the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs who have various responsibilities, saying, “When it comes to women’s participation in management and advisory roles, there is a prevalent issue of underestimating women and a lack of trust in their abilities.”
She asserted that this traditional perspective must change within educational frameworks and families, where important responsibilities should be allocated regardless of gender biases.
Moreover, she emphasized that women should support one another through trust and collaboration, overcoming challenges collectively and making a significant contribution to the nation’s development.