Star 1960
By: Sandra Dindi
January 1,2014
After dominating the world’s marathons for 27 long years, legendary runner Haile Gebrsellassie has now exchanged his track suit for a three piece suit, becoming a successful and busy entrepreneur.
In an interview with BBC news, 41 year old former 5-time 10,000 meters Olympic gold medalist and world champion Haile Gebreselassie revealed how he used proceeds from his winnings in athletics to venture in real estate by building a multipurpose centre in Addis Ababa.
He also diversified his portfolio by buying land for a 1500 hectare coffee plantation.
Coffee is Ethiopia’s largest export commodity, involving 20 million smallholders, and with its own commodity exchange through which farmer co-operatives can sell to the New York market through facilitated deals.