Volunteer Research Pays Off with the Perfect Equipment Choice

Thanthwe Enterprises is an integrated agri-business in Malawi that focuses on agro-processing, business incubation and promotion of climate smart agriculture technology, including greenhouses, and solar driers. 

Their processing branch manufactures products like hibiscus teas, juices, jams, and spices. Thanthwe was looking to expand their spice production and came to Partners in Food Solutions (PFS) with a unique request. They needed a volunteer to recommend and provide specifications for a stainless-steel hammer mill that they could use to process spices such as ginger, lemongrass and hibiscus. However, they had specific requirements. As much as was possible, the mill needed to be a “one-stop shop” to prevent cross-contamination. It had to have a production capacity of more than one hundred kilograms per hour and must also come with a complete production line set-up (i.e. a hammer mill, vibrating sieves, and packaging equipment). 

Nicolas Malnarcic, a pack supervisor at Ardent Mills' Hastings mill in Minnesota volunteered for this task. Before moving to the United States to work at Ardent Mills, Nicolas grew up in Brazil, a country that in a lot of ways he finds similar to some African countries. “I have seen first-hand the impact that sharing knowledge like this can have on developing economies, and PFS is a great vehicle for me to share the knowledge I've acquired working with Ardent Mills!” 

The Hastings plant mainly mills wheat and Nick had never worked with tea and spices before. “Though the equipment is similar, the scale and properties of the products are very different. So, I had to use the resources available to me here at Ardent to ask and learn more about the specifics of this process. Luckily, with our extensive network of resources, I was always able to get an answer for my questions, even if it meant poking a bit further than what I normally do.”  

Nick worked hard and found suppliers in the US, China, and South Africa. The team agreed that a South African supplier would be the best option as they met all the requirements and would be better at offering customer support due to their proximity to Malawi.  

Thanthwe decided on the suitable equipment and vendor based on Nick's recommendations. At the time the project was winding up, they were waiting for their bank to process a loan application, which would be used to purchase the equipment. 

The CEO of Thanthwe Enterprises, Ngabaghila Chatata, expressed her satisfaction with the process and the results. She noted, "We got more than we asked for. Nicolas thoroughly researched and shared information we could not have located ourselves. Working with Nicolas also ensured we received information on time to proceed."