bold idea
Increase incomes for marginalized women smallholder farmers in Kenya by using community-based micro-factories to localize food processing—when raw ingredients are turned into market-ready food products—and generate more value.
organization overview
MAMLO FOODS is redesigning how food value is created in rural communities. Through community-based micro-factories, the organization localizes food processing so that marginalized Kenyan women smallholder farmers capture more value from what they grow. Starting with the peanut value chain, MAMLO reduces waste, creates rural jobs, and connects farmers to growing markets through high-value food products. Its vision is a future where rural communities lead thriving, inclusive food economies rather than remaining only the suppliers of raw commodities.
Personal Bio
Irene Etyang is a food scientist and social entrepreneur redesigning how value is created in rural food systems. She is the founder of MAMLO FOODS. Raised in Teso, western Kenya, Irene grew up in a farming community where peanuts and millet were abundant, yet many farmers remained trapped in poverty, as middlemen captured most of the value from their harvests. Determined to change this system, she studied food science and technology and began working alongside rural communities to develop solutions that keep value, jobs, and opportunity within farming regions. Her leadership has been recognized through global fellowships and awards, including the Vital Voices Global Fellowship, the Rainer Arnhold Fellowship, Leaders in Innovation Fellowship, African Women in Food Fellowship, the Women in Ag Award, and the 2025 Arrell Global Food Innovation Award.
-
Organization Structure ?
An organization can be structured as a nonprofit, for-profit, or hybrid (a structure that incorporates both nonprofit and for-profit elements).
- Visit website