We left banking to grind pumpkins

Jonathan Mbatia and Jackson Mwaniki of Aglomere Aberdare Limited

A bumper crop harvest is every farmer’s joy. Unless that crop eventually goes to waste because the market is overcrowded, and the shelf life of their products is too short. This is a reality in many farming communities. It is in such a community that Jackson Maina Mwaniki grew up, often watching farmers mourn their losses at the end of too many crop seasons.

“I remember thinking as I rode in a matatu, passing tracts and tracts of farmed land, that there has to be a way to conserve these crops. My mother and father were teachers and farmers, and I knew how hard they worked to bring in a harvest,” Jackson says. “Seeing them throw away produce because it wasn’t sold was painful, especially knowing that many Kenyans were going hungry.”