At the time the world is struggling with issues of gender, inclusion and sustainable ways of supporting women and youths’ welfare who are the most vulnerable in rural Kenyan households. One of our investee companies has for years taken lead in food value chain and Agri -processing trailblazer as a woman entrepreneur.
MACE FOODS Limited, is a woman led Agri processor in chili and African Indigenous Vegetables (AIV) value chains. The company is passionate about enhancing food security and nutrition through adopting modern preservation and storage, reduction of food wastage during the high supply season and stabilizing market prices that highly affect crop producers and consumers.
With their factory located at Kambi Somali road in the outskirts of Eldoret Town, Uasin Gishu County, they are currently processing chilies and by products, and African leafy vegetables (Dodo, Saga, Sukuma wiki, Managu and Kunde) for both local and export market. The company to date has supported 10,000 farmers in 14 counties that they have recruited as suppliers of farm produce. They also offer training to farmers on the best agronomic practices in crop production and post-harvest handling.
At Kenya Climate Ventures, the business aligns with our mission of catalyzing innovative private enterprises in agricultural value chain that supports nature-based solutions to climate mitigation and adaptation while enhancing households’ resilience. Agri processing is also at the center of food security which has remained an abstract topic in Kenyan society from availability to households, accessibility, utilization, and stability of supply across the year. In some parts of the country the rural households are still living with hunger and malnutrition that has been exacerbated by the levels of poverty.
MACE FOODS business model works with rural small holder farmers who plants African leafy vegetables that is partly consumed within the households and the surplus are aggregated and delivered to their factory for processing to ensure the vegetables are available in the local retail supermarkets in all year round. The business impacts rural households in two folds, generating additional income that supports their needs through the crops they sale to Mace foods and as vegetables farmers this improves the level of diet and nutrition within the families.
Through the Kenya Climate ventures support of providing patient capital to acquire modern equipment and working capital to increase the volume of crop purchased from farmers, the business has been able to scale their operations and improve their business performance. The company, to date have provided 100 direct employments to women and youths along the value chain noting the nature of the processing that involves sorting, drying, and packing that are jobs suitable for women hence their deliberate initiative to give women more opportunities which adds to other benefits of reduction of gender-based violence and sexual harassment from the vulnerable women. The company is also supporting regenerative agriculture through vegetable farmers which is key in climate mitigation through proper use of soil and increasing carbon sinks.
With the increased demand for organic foods, at KCV we are keen to work with the company by providing both patient capital and technical support that will enable them to expand their operations by supporting more rural farmers to increase the supply of raw materials and increase the number of direct employees as the enhances its growth.
Kenya Climate Ventures is a leading impact ventures investor accelerating access to climate smart solutions by providing tailored financial, and targeted technical assistance and business growth support to early and growth stage enterprises. We partner with early stage and growth stage SMEs whose commercial growth and success will have a positive impact on target markets, communities, and the environment in Kenya.
