Boxes of maize products on grocery store shelf

Helping Long-term Client Embrace Frugal Innovation

Author:
Lauren Innes, Volunteer Communications Associate
Date:
October 25, 2021

 

Faffa Foods, a fortified maize flour company, wants to play a leading role in tackling malnutrition in Ethiopia. Known for their nutritious baby food products, Faffa Foods wanted to expand their product portfolio and provide more nutritious products to their community and beyond. Dealing with limited resources, further exacerbated by the pandemic, Faffa Foods turned to PFS and TechnoServe for technical assistance. Tasked with developing an enriched snack bar were General Mills volunteers Jeff Enz and Moses Khamis. Jeff, a R&D veteran with over 25 years of experience at General Mills, and Moses, a senior extrusion engineer from Uganda who joined the company earlier this year, were the perfect fit for the job.

“I love food science and really like sharing my passion and knowledge with others,” said Jeff. “It is fun to support young companies in emerging marketing with new food offerings and technology.” Jeff and Moses were able to share their ingredient knowledge, experimental design experience, and processing expertise to advise Faffa Foods on the development of their new grain-based snack bar. “It was interesting to learn about the different challenges companies like Faffa Foods face in regards to innovation,” said Moses. “They are constrained by numerous challenges but with the right mindset can come up with unique products and solutions.”

After months of research and fine tuning the formulation for the snack bar, Faffa Foods is now ready to enter the trial phase of the project. Jeff and Moses have both agreed to continue supporting Faffa Foods through their trials and will spend the next several months running production trials, developing production procedures, and troubleshooting any issues. “It has been a pleasure working with PFS volunteers and TechnoServe,” said Faffa Foods Deputy Director Zelalem Yimer. “We really appreciate Jeff and Moses’ commitment, which is a driving force for our team. We can’t wait to share an update on the status of our product in the near future!”

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