Malawi faces a persistent challenge of malnutrition, particularly among its young population. E&G Investments, a local company with a heart for change, has placed itself at the forefront of this battle against malnutrition.
With a mission to provide nutritious flour processed from soybean, maize and groundnuts, E&G Investments has made significant strides over the past decade, targeting children as young as six months.
Initially serving a handful of customers, E&G Investments now supply their nutritious flour through major retail outlets across Malawi. This extensive network ensures that their products are accessible to a broad audience.
“In the beginning we were just selling it to a few individuals, and maybe one or two organisations. But over the past 10 years, it has grown such that we are selling it through a number of retail shops,” explains Evelyn Chirambo, Managing Director for E&G Investments.
In 2023, E&G Investments became one the recipients of a matching grant from the Growth Accelerator (GA) under Cohort 6. The grant, as Chirambo explains, set them off on an incredible journey and marks a new chapter in their march towards success.
Their project involves constructing a new factory equipped with a warehouse to store bulk raw materials. Currently, the company faces challenges purchasing raw materials in smaller quantities, which results in higher costs as prices increase post-harvest. By buying in bulk, they aim to stabilise costs and improve profit margins.
“With the GA grant, we planned to increase the capacity of the company in terms of sales and coverage, as well as the production process. We process our products using basic machines, but we intend to build a factory, which will also have a warehouse where we can store a lot of raw materials,” explains Chirambo.
The new factory will house advanced machinery, enhancing production volume and efficiency. This investment not only promises increased sales and profits, but also contributes to the local economy through job creation, explains Fletcher Nuka-Shaba, one of the founders of the firm.
“We have already hired ten employees and plan to employ more as our operations expand,” Nuka-Shaba says.
The factory construction is progressing well, currently at the slab level, pending further funding.
As E&G Investments advances, their impact on fighting malnutrition in Malawi continues to grow. Their journey from a small-scale operation to a key player in the local nutrition sector underscores the potential of dedicated entrepreneurial efforts to drive meaningful change.
