Agro-food

Forna Health Foods is a female-founded and female-led social business that manufactures Aunt Porridge and Instapo!, healthy, nutritious (and delicious!) porridges that are targeted at helping weaning infants, children, breastfeeding mothers, immune-compromised patients (and even the entire family) access essential nutrition to thrive when they need it the most! 

Forna Health Foods are the makers of Aunt Porridge and its instant porridge version (Instapo!) – this essential breakfast staple and its 10+ ingredients are all-natural (no added preservatives), homegrown in Uganda (providing a market for 1,000s of smallholder Ugandan farmers) and are jam-packed with protein, vitamins and fibre (unlike single grain porridges made from millet or maize) to boost infant and child nutrition.

Partnership with Inua Capital

Inua Impact Fund has invested equity and mezzanine financing into Forna Health Foods to scale its reach nationwide and expand its ability to source farm produce from smallholder farmers across Uganda. 

Together with Inua Capital, Forna Health Foods will scale its product reach across the country and beyond, increase and improve its product offerings, further mechanize its production processes and make an indelible imprint on the health and nutrition of Africa’s children and families for years to come!

Equator Chocolate is a paragon of artisanal mastery and distinction within Uganda’s chocolate landscape. Established in 2018, Equator Chocolate is a pioneer in adding value to Uganda’s cocoa (in place of exporting the raw commodity), buying cocoa from smallholder farmers in Uganda to manufacture dark, milk and white craft chocolate loved by local consumers and corporate kitchens alike, and customized for special occasions and premium brands across East Africa.

Equator Chocolate manufactures white, milk and dark craft chocolate from organic and sustainably-grown Ugandan cocoa. Equator’s chocolate is internationally award-winning, winning a bronze medal at the 2023 Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products (AVPA) International Gourmet competition in Paris.

Equator serves a wide range of customers: from hotels, lodges and high-end brands seeking to give their discerning clients a delectable taste of Uganda; to ethical consumers in export markets (predominantly Europe) where it retails with high demand; to bakers, chocolatiers, cafes and other corporate kitchens across East Africa whose products require high-quality chocolate; to local individual consumers that pick up an Equator Chocolate off the shelf to satisfy a craving or celebrate a special occasion. 

Partnership with Inua Capital

Inua Impact Fund has invested equity and mezzanine financing into Equator Chocolate to scale its production by over 3x and expand its ability to source cocoa from local smallholder farmers at a premium price. 

Inua’s investment in Equator Chocolate intends to put Ugandan chocolate on the map! (no pun intended)

Founded in 2019 by Karim Ghammache, Mali Shi is Mali's first industrial shea butter processor. The company produces high-quality shea butter for the international market as a sustainable and environmentally friendly substitute for cocoa butter.

Mali Shi uses two different supply chains: in the traditional supply chain, the company buys shea from local suppliers and partners. It also buys directly from women collectors, thereby improving the incomes of rural women.  Mali Shi prioritizes direct purchases from women collectors through its own network, which is the main source of supply.

The entrepreneur

A Lebanese-Malian entrepreneur, Karim Ghammache grew up in Mali, and moved to France to complete his secondary education. He pursued his studies in finance in Canada, at HEC Montréal and McGill University, before joining the family business in Mali after completing his degree.

He joined the management of two startups launched by his family: Diago Mineral Water and Omnium, and took part in their restructuring and turnaround after difficult beginnings. In 2019, he acquired Omnium Mali, turning it into one of the most technically advanced factories in Africa.

Building on this successful experience with Omnium Mali, in 2011 he launched Omnium Invest, an investment company that creates and deploys startups run by autonomous management teams. Through this structure, he steers Mali Shi.

Partnership with I&P

Mali Shi is supported by I&P through the I&P Afrique Entrepreneurs 2 (IPAE 2) fund. The funds raised will be used to :

• Strengthen the company's WCR ;
• Strengthen its capacity to raise seasonal credit;
• Increase the production capacity of the facility.

Expected Impact

• Local processing of shea kernels, creating value and limiting exports of raw materials;
• Improved conditions for women in rural areas;
• Strong job creation and skills transfer in the shea kernel processing industry;
• Structuring the shea kernel industry and improving the income of women's kernel-collecting cooperatives.

Mali Shi website : Click here

Oui Lait & Dêguê is an Ivorian company that operates in the agri-food sector, more specifically in the production of yogurt (or curdled milk) and dêguê (a mixture of yogurt and millet semolina or couscous). Its products are marketed through two distribution channels: direct sales (distribution of products directly to customers via sales outlets) and online sales (home delivery).

The entrepreneur

Oui Lait & Dêguê was founded by Mrs Saran Fadiga.  Autodidact, she grew up in an entrepreneurial and sales environment. With a A-Levels in literature, she undertook various activities (selling yogurt, jewelry, shoes, etc.) for five years before starting Oui Lait & Dêguê in 2017.

Partnership with I&P and Comoé Capital

The company is supported by I&P and Comoé Capital through I&P Acceleration in Sahel. The aim of the funding is to :

• increase and optimize the company's production capacity
• contribute to the opening of new stands
• contribute to the digitization of business monitoring

Oui Lait & Dêguê will also benefit from a number of technical aids to improve production, accounting and financial processes.

Ivoire Garba, commonly known as I-Garba, is a company that markets and promotes an Ivorian dish called garba. The company's ambition is to create a fast-food chain in Côte d'Ivoire, and in the future to export its model to the interior of the country and to neighboring countries.

The entrepreneur

Ivoire Garba was created by Mamadou Sidibé, an entrepreneur from Côte d'Ivoire. Holder of a BTS in business management, he worked as a security professional, launching several activities including the export of Abidjan's piqué chicken to the interior of the country.  He had to abandon this activity following the various crises that Côte d'Ivoire has experienced. In 2018, he led an attempt to open a McDonald's franchise.

Partnership with Comoé Capital and I&P

Ivoire Garba is financed by Comoé Capital, a partner of I&P, through an equity investment.

Expected impact

• Enhancement of a local specialty contributes to the promotion of Ivorian culture 
• Creation of over 40 sustainable jobs

Huilerie Royale TED is specialized in the production and sale of pure, virgin coconut-based table oil in Benin. Coconut oil is cold-extracted from coconuts. The finished product is used in the manufacture of food products, as well as a wide range of everyday products such as soaps, shampoos, cosmetics, detergents, paints and pharmaceutical products. 

The entrepreneur

The company was founded in 2017 by Towenan Armel Théodore AHIMAKIN, a Beninese entrepreneur with a degree in agronomy who grew up in a region traditionally producing coconut oil.

Partnership with I&P

Huilerie Royale TED is supported by I&P through the I&P Accélération au Sahel program:

• Obtaining organic certification, an essential element to develop the European market.
• Build up a stock of raw materials to support production growth
• financing various production-related expenses to ensure increased production capacity

Fatou & Kadija Entreprise is a Guinean company operating since 2014 in processing and drying fruit juices, mainly pineapple-based, marketed Jedengui.

The entrepreneur

Fatou & Kadija Entreprise was created by Fatoumata CISSOKO, a Guinean entrepreneur committed to the development and promotion of fruit (especially the pineapple sector). She holds a degree in accounting and management from the Consular University (UNIC) and a higher technical diploma in accounting and management from the Kofi Annan University of Guinea (UKAG), and has several years' experience in fruit processing.  

Partnership with I&P and MBM Capital

Fatou & Kadija Entreprise is supported by I&P and MBM Capital through I&P Acceleration in Sahel. This partnership will enable the company to :

• Increase its production capacity by installing a new 1000 L/day fruit juice production line
• Bring the production building up to the required hygiene and food safety standards 
• Diversify product ranges
• Secure supplies of raw materials and packaging

Expected impacts

• Promotion of local products and local agriculture
• Promotion of healthy eating (natural products with no artificial additives)
• Creation of 8 additional permanent jobs and dozens of temporary and indirect jobs along the value chain
• Expected sales growth of 374% in 2024 (compared with 2023) and 50% in 2025 (compared with 2024)

Based in Senegal, Fruitales is an SME specialized in the transformation and commercialization of fruit and vegetables, mainly fresh chillies.

The entrepreneur

Fruitales was founded by Ms. TALL, a Senegalese entrepreneur. She holds an MBA and has 21 years' experience in entrepreneurship, following a 14-year career in teaching Philosophy and Modern Literature. She is also deeply involved in the agri-processing industry ecosystem, where she is or has been a member of several organizations such as AAFEX, FARM, AWEP and the Enablis network.

Partnership with I&P

Fruitales is supported by Teranga Capital through a capital investment. This financing will enable the company to increase its production capacity. Fruitales will also benefit from technical support ranging from strategic thinking to improving organizational efficiency.

Lamana is a Cameroonian agri-food company producing baby foods marketed under Blesolac brand. The brand's products are a local alternative to imported infant foods, which are mainly sourced from foreign imports and have dominated the market in Cameroon for decades. The company, made up of 13 employees, has worked to build a brand that is now present in almost 45 sales outlets spread over 4 towns. The company has won a number of entrepreneurial awards to date, including the prestigious Castel Foundation's top prize for Cameroon's most promising entrepreneurs. 

The entrepreneur

Lamana was created in 2017 by Pascaline Nenda, a young Cameroonian woman who began her entrepreneurial career after the birth of her daughter. Graduating in 2008 with a BTS in marketing and communications from the Institut Supérieur de Management (ISMA) in 2009 she secured her first job as an archivist at Yaoundé's Agence de Régulation des Marchés Publics. It was during this gap year and a visit to her home village that she was struck by the recipes based on local tropical fruits and tubers, which her grandmother used for her child's meals. On her return to the city, she decided to adopt this way of eating completely.

Partnership with I&P

Lamana is supported by I&P through I&P Acceleration in Sahel. The aim of this partnership is to help the company increase its production capacity and expand into a new market segment through : 

• acquiring more efficient production machinery
• relaunching the marketing of mini-formats (50g) of products
• restructuring the company by strengthening the management system

Laiterie Maminiaina, based in Antsirabe since its creation in 2009, is run by Serge Randriamahefasoa, a Malagasy entrepreneur with strong roots in the dairy triangle, his native region.

Number 1 for cheese in Madagascar, Laiterie Maminiaina currently works with 750 breeders, employs around 50 people in its factory, and distributes its products through a network of 8 sales outlets in the capital and Antsirabe.

The entrepreneur's ambition is to raise his profile in the dairy products market and join forces with an international player in dairy or agri-food processing.

Partnership with Miarakap

The company is financed by Miarakap, I&P's partner in Madagascar.

The funds raised will enable the company to double its supply capacity, with the number of partner farmers rising to 3,000 (i.e. +15,000 people affected) by 2027. 

The partnership with Miarakap will also enable the dairy to acquire new machinery and set up infrastructure in line with international standards. Laiterie Maminiaina will be able to diversify its products to meet consumer demand.

Miarakap positions itself as the entrepreneur's strategic partner, not only in the field of finance, but also in other important aspects of the business (marketing, human resources, production, etc.), and provides the entrepreneur with a useful external vision to help him make the best decisions.

Visit Miarakap's website to read more