Nutritional Innovation Through Biofortified Bakery Products
Sanavita Company Ltd is a Tanzanian food processor that aims to address the country’s high rate of malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies by increasing awareness and promoting the consumption of biofortified foods. They are currently known for their fresh orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) and its flour. OFSP is a special type of biofortified sweet potato that contains high levels of beta-carotene, that is converted to Vitamin A in the body. It is important for vision, growth, cell division, reproduction, and immunity. Sanavita ventured into a bakery line to diversify their product portfolio and provide more nutritious offerings to their community and beyond. They contacted PFS and Technoserve for help to improve their bread and biscuit formula and were paired with volunteers from General Mills and Cargill.
Cargill’s Aaron Reed was the perfect fit for this project. He is a senior food scientist who works in the bakery applications team within the food and bioindustrial ingredients business. He has 21 years of food industry experience, most of which has been in research and development for bakery products. “I have had the pleasure of working with many smart and talented people over my career and have learned so much from them. I want to be able to pass that knowledge along to others to help them make the best products possible,” said Aaron. “I also enjoy learning about new products and cultures and have enjoyed the teaching aspect that comes when sharing knowledge with others.”
Aaron was not familiar with recipes for sweet potato buns or cookies and he did not have certain ingredients (like bean powders) on hand, so it took some time for him to understand the critical attributes of the products. Despite this, he worked with the Sanavita team who shared photos and provided detailed descriptions, allowing him to understand the type of product they wanted to make, propose some formulas, and do some benchwork to test the proposed formulas. Further discussions helped the volunteer team understand what the client liked and disliked about the recipes and fine tune the product.
By the end of the project, Sanavita had a much improved product which has received very positive feedback from customers. “The procedure shared by the volunteers was very useful and I learned how to follow a step-by-step approach to product formulation,” said Sanavita Ltd.’s Managing Director Jolenta Joseph. The whole team appreciated the opportunity to work together, and it was a good experience for all who were involved. “This was one of my favorite projects to have been able to work on so far with PFS. I am impressed with those who are willing to go out on a limb to start a business or who are trying to grow their existing business. It is not easy, so if I can help in some small part of that, it is satisfying to me to be able to help them improve the products they are offering.”
PFS Releases FY2024 Annual Report
Check out our newest annual report, covering our fiscal year 2024. Highlights include a look at PFS' recently completed three-year strategy successes and the volunteers who made our six year partnership with TechnoServe so impactful.
The Apprentice: Kenneth Kibirige
Welcome to PFS’ The Apprentice! We are excited to share this series highlighting the successes of our apprenticeship program, which, since 2016, has paired nearly 200 fresh college graduates with food processors across Africa.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in human nutrition and dietetics, Kenneth Kibirige was placed at SESACO Ltd, a soya processing company in Uganda. Throughout his year-long post, he gained leadership skills, learnt how to collaborate with teams, solve problems and prepare for quality audits. Through PFS’ mentorship program, he was also matched with his mentor @Heidi Emanuel, who shared best practices for documentation, communication, problem-solving and training food handlers and machine operators to promote safety and quality during production. “My favorite part of the apprenticeship was collaborating with PFS volunteers to handle and implement various product quality related projects, like developing a HACCP tool and an interesting real-time shelf-life study evaluation," said Kenneth. "My apprenticeship allowed me to contribute to product improvement and development, essential for a career in food processing. I also gained hands-on experience on ensuring food safety, quality, and general hygiene of a food processing facility.”
Empowering the Growth of African Food Industry Professionals Through Mentorship
Ronald Murungi Kamugisa is a production manager at Psalms Food Industries, a snack producer in Uganda. With the establishment of their new larger factory, Ronald was looking to gain insights on how to maintain production efficiency, ensure consistent product quality and manage an expanding workforce. He decided to join PFS’ mentorship program hoping to be paired with a mentor who could help him drive continuous improvement in the production processes. Through PFS, he was matched with Cristhian Ramirez, a senior program manager at Cargill Colombia.
Cristhian’s background is in supply chain and operations processes, and he has spent the last decade of his professional career working in various capacities in Cargill. Cristhian, who has been a client lead in previous PFS projects, decided to be a mentor to help another professional with their development.
“I am an empathy driven person who thrives on challenges and is constantly looking for new opportunities to learn and teach. The only way to have a better world is to grow together and I know I can help others through sharing knowledge.”
Since the beginning of the year, Cristhian and Ronald have been meeting to discuss several aspects of production like process optimization, quality management, workforce development, production planning, resource management and inventory management.
“Cristhian brought a wealth of experience in optimizing manufacturing processes and managing large-scale production operations to this mentorship. This mentorship has not only empowered me with the skills and confidence to lead my team to new heights but will also significantly contribute to the overall success of Psalms Food Industries. I am now better equipped to help the company navigate the challenges of a growing market while maintaining its commitment to quality and efficiency. I am forever grateful to my dear mentor Cristhian and wish him all the best in life,” said Ronald.
The learning has not been one-sided. Cristhian also shared that he has also improved his communication skills in English and has updated his knowledge in some areas of supply chain and operations. Cristhian and Ronald’s mentorship ends in a few months and they both hope to make the most of the time they have left together.
Volunteer Research Pays Off with the Perfect Equipment Choice
Thanthwe Enterprises is an integrated agri-business in Malawi that focuses on agro-processing, business incubation and promotion of climate smart agriculture technology, including greenhouses, and solar driers.
Their processing branch manufactures products like hibiscus teas, juices, jams, and spices. Thanthwe was looking to expand their spice production and came to Partners in Food Solutions (PFS) with a unique request. They needed a volunteer to recommend and provide specifications for a stainless-steel hammer mill that they could use to process spices such as ginger, lemongrass and hibiscus. However, they had specific requirements. As much as was possible, the mill needed to be a “one-stop shop” to prevent cross-contamination. It had to have a production capacity of more than one hundred kilograms per hour and must also come with a complete production line set-up (i.e. a hammer mill, vibrating sieves, and packaging equipment).
Nicolas Malnarcic, a pack supervisor at Ardent Mills' Hastings mill in Minnesota volunteered for this task. Before moving to the United States to work at Ardent Mills, Nicolas grew up in Brazil, a country that in a lot of ways he finds similar to some African countries. “I have seen first-hand the impact that sharing knowledge like this can have on developing economies, and PFS is a great vehicle for me to share the knowledge I've acquired working with Ardent Mills!”
The Hastings plant mainly mills wheat and Nick had never worked with tea and spices before. “Though the equipment is similar, the scale and properties of the products are very different. So, I had to use the resources available to me here at Ardent to ask and learn more about the specifics of this process. Luckily, with our extensive network of resources, I was always able to get an answer for my questions, even if it meant poking a bit further than what I normally do.”
Nick worked hard and found suppliers in the US, China, and South Africa. The team agreed that a South African supplier would be the best option as they met all the requirements and would be better at offering customer support due to their proximity to Malawi.
Thanthwe decided on the suitable equipment and vendor based on Nick's recommendations. At the time the project was winding up, they were waiting for their bank to process a loan application, which would be used to purchase the equipment.
The CEO of Thanthwe Enterprises, Ngabaghila Chatata, expressed her satisfaction with the process and the results. She noted, "We got more than we asked for. Nicolas thoroughly researched and shared information we could not have located ourselves. Working with Nicolas also ensured we received information on time to proceed."