(CNN) -- She ventured where few before her had dared, taking on a decades-long business monopoly and overcoming gender stereotypes to become a major player in her country's lucrative drinks industry. As chief executive of Keroche Breweries, Tabitha Karanja has paved the way for many other female entrepreneurs in Kenya, a country where women are traditionally scarce in the boardrooms, and even rarer in million-dollar startups. Against all odds, the 48-year-old entrepreneur has painstakingly turned the first Kenyan-owned brewery into a lucrative business. In the process, she had to succeed where others had tried and failed in the face of an entrenched monopoly: East African Breweries.
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Tabitha Karanja is the chief executive of Keroche Breweries
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The company is the first Kenyan-owned beer manufacturer
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Karanja calls for a change in culture to help create more female entrepreneurs
Although the company only holds about 5% of the country's market share, Karanja says the demand for @placeholder's products outweighs the supply.
A model for aspiring young entrepreneurs across Kenya, Karanja's business skills and efforts to liberalize the country's industry were recognized in 2010 with an award from the president of @placeholder.