Spice Manufacturing Facility is Organized and Even ‘Chic’ Due to Volunteer Support
Ivorian cuisine covers a wide range of tubers, grains, fish and vegetables, typically garnished with a range of local spices. In many households, these spices are ground by hand, making their daily use tiring and inconvenient. In 2016, Mrs. Yao Glawdis decided to change the status quo, by establishing SITRAV, a processing company that made affordable, ready-to-use spices. Eight years on, SITRAV has grown to become one of the leading producers of local spices in Côte d’Ivoire. To meet growing demand, SITRAV has had to expand their current production facility to new premises nearby. They looked to PFS for support on how best they could optimize their space while observing good hygiene practices.
Kevin Richter, an engineering manager at Ardent Mills joined this project to support SITRAV. In his daily job, Kevin helps manage capital projects throughout the company. The range of experience he has garnered has been very useful to PFS as one of our committed and long-standing volunteers. He has nearly twenty successful projects under his belt, since he started volunteering in 2013. “Volunteering is a good way to give back, whether it is in the local community or like in my case, all these places that I may never even travel to. It’s also important to me because the clients (at PFS) always have a thirst for knowledge, curiosity and an improvement mindset which makes it easier to work with them.”
Together with another volunteer from Bühler, Kevin reviewed SITRAV’s production process and came up with a plant layout design that prioritized food safety and put the requisite documentation in place. “The project was really about upping the food safety culture and trying to set the basic standards for what a United States (U.S) audit would require for walking zones for employees and ensure that dirty products are not mixed with clean products after processing,” said Kevin.
SITRAV modified their plant’s layout based on the volunteers’ recommendations, setting the fundamentals for the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certification they are aiming for. Kevin has signed up for another project with SITRAV to help resolve aspiration problems in their spice grinding room. He is working with them to develop a filtration system that will reduce how much spice blows back into the room to eliminate most of the dust.
Mr. Beni Ngouan, operations director for SITRAV expressed his gratitude to Kevin and his team, saying, “Thanks to the volunteers, we achieved our objective. It was quite tough to have to pull down a portion of the walls and tiles but in the end, we are very happy to see the transformation of our building; the space is well organized and chic!”
“Volunteering with PFS is always a good experience and I’m always happy to help. Don’t be afraid to start volunteering! The PFS teams are very patient, and the clients face the same problems that we do in the U.S – just on a different scale. Volunteering allows you to step back from the lens of large-scale manufacturing and focus on a small-scale issue which could be of a different raw material (like spices or cocoa beans) than you are used to. This shouldn’t scare you, because whether you know it or not, you have learned a lot from our culture at Ardent Mills, which you can hopefully impart to others,” said Kevin.
Volunteers Help Kenyan Maize Miller Bridge Financial Management Gap
Zach McGovern and Ray Mielke, two young financial analysts from General Mills in Minnesota, embarked on their first volunteer project with PFS this year. Under the guidance of volunteer Steve Berger, a retired General Mills employee and seasoned PFS volunteer, they set out to review and update the financial management systems of Lizhbrand Multicare Ltd, a maize milling company in Kenya.
Lizhbrand’s operations had expanded since the business opened in 2017 and their financial management system was no longer sufficient for the company’s growing needs. Understanding the need for a more robust system, Zach and Ray began by reviewing Lizhbrand’s existing financial management processes. They collaborated closely with CEO Lydia Mirugu, to establish a comprehensive financial process flow. This structured approach helped the team identify the various accounting units that required attention and management.
Zach and Ray meticulously analyzed Lizhbrand’s production processes and associated financial records, breaking down each step to better understand how financial data was generated and recorded. This not only highlighted the inefficiencies in the current system but also helped them identify suitable accounting systems to replace it. The duo evaluated two potential software solutions: Odoo.com and Manager.io. They presented their findings to Lizhbrand, highlighting the capabilities of each system. After careful consideration, Odoo.com emerged as the preferred choice due to its capabilities and potential to scale.
Zach and Ray went the extra mile by contacting several potential service providers for the company. The Lizhbrand team followed up with the service providers for demonstrations and quotations, eventually narrowing down to two options. They eventually decided to contract with Odoo Africa as they were more responsive and offered competitive pricing.
PFS is immensely grateful to Zach, Ray and Steve for willingly offering their expertise, which has enabled Madam Mirugu to make a well-informed decision that will help Lizhbrand continue to build sustainable business growth.
The Apprentice: Abigail Adjei-Boatey
Abigail Adjei-Boatey served as a quality assurance officer during her apprenticeship at Eden Tree Limited, a fruit and vegetable processor in Ghana, ensuring the company’s produce met the highest quality and safety standards.
For her, this role was a deep dive into practical problem-solving, data analysis and communication and equipped her with a strong understanding of food safety regulations. One highlight during her tenure was developing and implementing a pasteurization protocol for Eden Tree’s new fruit juice line, which improved product safety and shelf life.
Abigail believes she is now equipped to address critical challenges in food safety and quality through innovation and continuous improvement. Through PFS, she was also mentored by Ardent Mills’ Justin Bakke, and got to build invaluable professional networks which will offer her support and guidance that will last throughout her career. The hands-on experience, combined with seeing Eden Tree’s products thrive in the market were some of the best parts of her apprenticeship.
Abigail is pictured here with PFS' Ghana Program Manager, Gordon Okyere (far left), CEO Mandla Nkomo (middle), and West Africa Program Manager, Christian Dedzo (right).
Argidius Foundation Helps PFS Boost Growth of African Food Processors
PFS is buoyed by the support of not only its corporate partners, but also with the backing of generous individual and organizational donors. We were pleased to join one such partner - the Argidius Foundation - on a visit to our client Pristine Foods, producers of extended shelf-life egg products in Uganda. Argidius has supported PFS' work in Uganda and Kenya, and this visit was an opportunity to showcase how their sponsorship has empowered PFS to support high potential companies that produce nutritious food to nourish communities.
Argidius Foundation aims to tackle poverty through enterprise development in Africa and South America. Their goal is to help entrepreneurs to build profitable businesses and contribute to the sustainable development of their communities. PFS entered a three-year partnership with the Foundation in 2020, with the aim of supporting 150 high potential clients in Africa to increase their growth and resilience and to empower them to overcome ecosystem challenges while protecting and improving their bottom-line. We are grateful to the Foundation for their support and the many learnings gained through our partnership with them.
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.”