Magdalene Mbaga

Director, Services Innovation & Impact
Magdalene Mbaga

Magdalene Mbaga learned first hand how important entrepreneurship is in Africa as a Peace Corp volunteer in northern Tanzania. Almost everyone in her village had at least one small enterprise going, and some had three or four. She says entrepreneurship is second nature there and people are always working to improve their businesses with new skills and ideas. That's why when Magdalene took a training course on how to raise chickens she found people very excited to hear about what she and her counterparts had learned. Just like at PFS, she shared her knowledge with colleagues at the school where she taught and they started a chicken keeping cooperative. When all was said and done there were nine families raising chickens for food or to sell for extra income. 

Before joining the Peace Corp, Magdalene, a St. Paul native, worked with immigrants at a law firm in Minneapolis and for the Department of Homeland Security. She has a degree in Global Studies from the University of Minnesota and is also a certified ESL teacher. She speaks German and Swahili.

Now that Magdalene lives in Minnesota again she's thought about having a backyard chicken coop. However, Charles Mbaga, who took the chicken training course with her in Tanzania, is now her husband and isn't all that excited about urban chickens in cages. He'd much prefer to have a free range flock, like they had back in Tanzania. Inspired by the entrepreneurship she learned from in Africa, Magdalene recently completed a master's degree in global business administration at Tufts University.

General Mills
General Mills, the founding member of Partners in Food Solutions, is one of the world’s leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Cargill
Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 150,000 people in 70 countries.
DSM
With a nearly 30,000 strong team and unparalleled capabilities built on more than a century of cutting-edge science, dsm-firmenich is a trailblazer in the reinvention, manufacturing, and combination of vital nutrients, flavors, and fragrances.
Bühler
Bühler is a global leader in the field of process engineering, in particular production technologies and services for producing foods and manufacturing advanced materials. Bühler operates in over 140 countries and has a over 10,000 employees worldwide.
Hershey
The Hershey Company, headquartered in Hershey, PA, is a global confectionery leader known for bringing goodness to the world through its chocolate, sweets, mints and other great-tasting snacks.
Ardent Mills
Ardent Mills is committed to transforming how the world is nourished.
Smucker's
Inspired by more than 120 years of business success and five generations of family leadership, The J. M. Smucker Company makes food that people and pets love. The Company’s portfolio of 40+ brands, which are found in 90 percent of U.S. homes and countless restaurants, include iconic products consumers have always loved such as Folgers, Jif and Milk-Bone plus new favorites like Café Bustelo, Smucker’s Uncrustables and Rachael Ray Nutrish.