How Burundi Fortified Foods (BFF) is strengthening Grain Supply Chains at the Village Level

Context and Challenge:

Burundi in Africa faces persistently high rates of child malnutrition and poor school attendance. Moreover smallholder farmers faced major post-harvest losses due to insect infestation and aflatoxin contamination, making up to 30% of harvested maize unfit for consumption and high costs of diesel-powered drying systems discouraged cooperatives from investing in post-harvest infrastructure

Introducing BFF:

Burundi Fortified Foods (BFF) is a locally owned food processing company based in Bujumbura, Burundi. Established in 2017, BFF specializes in the production of high-quality, affordable fortified foods designed to meet the nutritional needs of vulnerable populations.

Strengthening Grain Supply Chains at the Village Level:

Burundi Fortified Foods (BFF) , a startup being supported by Intellecap in Africa as part of the ‘Good Food Innovation Fund’ engagement by The Rockefeller Foundation, is addressing this complex challenge and making transformative impact in the good food and nutrition space by strengthening Grain Supply Chains at the Village Level and specializing in the production of high-quality, affordable fortified foods designed to meet the nutritional needs of vulnerable populations.

Today BFF in Gitega, Cibitoke, and Kayanza Provinces is enabling nutritious food to over 103,000 Primary School Learners in Burundi, Africa by scaling a Nutritious Porridge and covers 206 public primary schools across Bujumbura Rural, Bubanza, and Muyinga.

Good Food Innovation Fund (GFIF) Enabled Solution:

Village Grain Banks

• 10 steel silos (each 20 tonnes) were installed to provide safe, fuel-free storage.
• The airtight silos kept grain dry and cool without the need for electricity or fuel.

Safe Storage Bags

• 35,000 triple-layer hermetic bags were distributed to 2,700 smallholder farmers.
• These bug-resistant bags allowed farmers to store maize safely at the field level, drastically reducing pest-related losses.

On-the-Spot Quality Tools

• 150 compact moisture meters and mold-detection strips were provided.
• Farmers and buying agents could test grain quality in real-time, boosting transparency and reducing rejections.

Fast Payments and Traceability

• A cloud-based logistics system tracked every grain sack from farm to factory.
• Partnering with Kazoza Finance, the program enabled mobile payments to farmers within 48 hours of delivery.

Results (September 2024 – June 2025)

1. Post-harvest grain losses fell by 28%
2. Grain moisture content consistently stayed below 13%, and aflatoxin levels remained at less than half the acceptable limit.
3. Clean grain volumes rose from 3,300 to 5,280 tonnes — a 60% year-on-year increase.
4. 600 tonnes of Magara Meza porridge were produced and served to 103,000 schoolchildren twice weekly over 72 school days.
5. Farmer earnings totaled US $540,000, with nearly 50% of beneficiaries being women.

Key Learnings:

• Energy-free, airtight storage can outperform mechanical dryers — when grain is initially dried properly, hermetic storage yields better preservation results.
• Real-time quality feedback builds trust — farmers valued transparency and could understand how their grain was graded.
• Fast digital payments increase loyalty — receiving funds within 48 hours discouraged farmers from selling to informal buyers.
• Simple tools + mentorship accelerate adoption — 87% of farmers adopted new storage practices after peer-to-peer learning sessions.

Voices from the Field

“The combination of bug-free storage for six months and payment within two days helped me protect and profit from my harvest.”
— Consolee, Farmer, Cibitoke

“The traceability system lets us demonstrate quality instantly to schools — rejected deliveries dropped by 95%.”
— Odette N., Quality Officer, Burundi Fortified Foods

Call to Action:

If you are a startup in the Good Food and Nutrition space in Africa and would like to know more, please write to us at marketing@intellecap.net