2020 Annual Report

Mission Statement

Partners in Food Solutions works to increase the growth and competitiveness of food companies in Africa and beyond. In doing so, we improve access to safe, nutritious, affordable food and promote sustainable economic development across food value chains.

We do this by inspiring business leaders and linking highly-skilled corporate volunteers from our consortium of leading companies with promising entrepreneurs and other influencers of the food ecosystem.

520

NUMBER OF COMPANIES WE HAVE PROVIDED CUSTOMIZED TECHNICAL OR BUSINESS ASSISTANCE TO AND/OR TRAINED IN FY2020.

Woman in Ethiopia tossing flour in the air.

Mission Statement

we work in

11 African countries

cote d'ivoire

ethiopia

ghana

kenya

malawi

nigeria

rwanda

senegal

tanzania

uganda

zambia

with a combined population of

550 million people

Mission Statement

in fy2020,
our clients produced

111

Quality Safety Services

31

Nutrition Fortification Services

50 billion

Meal Serving Equivalents

Mission Statement

>500,000

Smallholder Farms

in our client's supply chains

11,000

People Employed

by our clients

$4 million

in Investment

was obtained by our clients to expand and grow their businesses

41

Apprentices

trained in year-long program

Mission Statement

16,686

Volunteer Hours

in fy2020

Mission Statement

connecting local, national, and international stakeholders

Capital Partners

Certification Bodies

Local & Regional Universities

Development Organizations

& More

to bring resources, facilitate collaboration, and develop deep and lasting partnerships.

Harambee \hä-räm-ˈbā\

The Swahili word harambee - which translates to 'all pull together' - is used across East Africa to encompass the concept of placing the community before the individual. To give what you can to those in need. That same concept is at the heart of why Partners in Food Solutions was formed. To connect the expertise of our corporate volunteers with the enterprising food companies of Africa in order to work together for greater food security. In Fiscal Year 2020, our volunteers and clients continued in their true partnership, with one greater purpose in mind - all pulling together for a better world.

An Enduring Partnership

What began with a chance encounter over the copy machine in TechnoServe’s Washington DC headquarters 12 years ago, has now become an integral and enduring part of our work to bring technical and business expertise to food companies in Africa.

On his first trip to Washington to shop the idea for PFS to potential collaborators, Co-founder Jeff Dykstra was met with a lot of blank stares. This new idea, to use the expertise of employees of industry-leading food companies to help food processing companies, was a complete departure from other efforts to improve food security in Africa. Most were focused either on the supply side - farmers - or the demand side - consumers, and almost no one was focused on where the two meet - local food processing companies. TechnoServe, with its mission of promoting business solutions to poverty and a private sector orientation, understood the importance of the middle of the food value chain and the critical, and under-leveraged, role they play in a local food economy.

A chance meeting

“We stopped in unannounced and caught one of their directors, Susan Bornstein, as she was hurriedly making copies for another meeting, but she listened and seemed to instantly understand the potential of the idea,” Jeff said. “I flew home and literally two days later I received a short proposal that was spot on - here is what we heard you want to do, here is what we could do, here is how we would work together, and here are the next steps.”

To date we have together provided expertise and training to 1484 clients in seven countries across the continent. Companies like Shambani Milk, a dairy processor in a remote region of Tanzania, who have worked with volunteers and TechnoServe Tanzania-based staff to improve the shelf life of their dairy products by 43 percent.

“We have been able to get the [Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point] manual of operating procedures and use it, and it has helped us a lot to reduce the losses that we had before,” Shambani Co-owner and COO Rehema Mmari said. “We are very thankful for the [Partners in Food Solutions] volunteers and TechnoServe staff for the valuable input they have given us. They are part of our success and we have gained a lot.”

The right expertise at the right time

They have also seen their sales increase 27 percent since they began working with Technoserve and Partners in Food Solutions. It shows that these types of improvements can and do have a significant positive impact on businesses and the customers they serve.

Kindra Halverson, TechnoServe’s Chief Transformation Officer, said ”It's been an incredible experience to grow this partnership with PFS over ten years, and to see its critical impact on economic development, nutrition, and local employment. Particularly in these challenging times that are stressing food systems around the world, the power of a public-private collaboration to promote the production of safe, nutritious food for everyone has never been more clear. It's a privilege to work with such an innovative and committed partner as PFS, and we look forward to even greater progress in the future."

“Just like we strive to be, TechnoServe is a learning organization that is always working to adapt and improve how they work,” Jeff said. “Our partnership continues to evolve and is continuing to seek ways to create greater impact, and for that we are grateful.”

A person standing in front of shelves of chocolates.

Client & Volunteer Feedback

97%

client satisfaction score

88%

volunteer satisfaction score

93%

clients say recommendations will have significant impact on their business

64%

Volunteers say they have developed a new or improved skill

51%

i have applied lessons from my pfs volunteer experience in my pROFESSIONAL life

"They are part of our success"

Volunteers may be thousands of miles away, but for many PFS clients they are trusted partners, critical to an entrepreneur's success. Rehema Mmani, co-founder and COO of Shambani Milk in Tanzania, shares her thanks with the long list of volunteers and invites us to "enjoy the journey of Shambani milk."

Impact by the Numbers - FY2020

538,000

farmers in client supply chains

11,600

employees in client companies

586

volunteers engaged in projects

$4.85 million

of investment

34%

of clientS ARE women-owned and/or led

Fiscal Year 2020

Client Services

64%     Projects
13%     Apprentices
14%     Ask an Expert
7%       Mentorships
1%       Low-Interest Loans
1%       PFS Operations

Volunteer Expertise

19%     Quality & Regulatory
17%     Product Development
8%       Marketing & Brand Design
7%       Process Development
6%       Manufacturing/Operations
5%       Nutrition & Fortification
23%     Other (Business)
15%     Other (Technical)

*Volunteers actively engaged on a project during fiscal year.

Together We Thrive

In FY2020 we gained a new partner when The J.M. Smucker Co. became the seventh member of our consortium. This iconic company makes food that appeals to all generations of people and pets and its brands are found in 90 percent of U.S. homes. Their 7,000+ employees will bring new experience and valuable expertise to our clients across Africa.