Conservation | September 7, 2021

Agricycle raises $2.4 million to repurpose food waste from smallholder farmers in Africa

Roodgally Senatus
ImpactAlpha Editor

Roodgally Senatus

ImpactAlpha, September 7 — Obstacles to the global market mean many smallholder farmers without adequate storage throw away large portions of their crops.

Milwaukee-based Agricycle Global has built a network of more than 15,000 small farmers in sub-Saharan Africa since 2019, providing them with solar dehydrators to upcycle excess fruits like mangoes and jackfruit.

The longer-lasting dry snacks are sold in the U.S. under the brand Jali Fruit Co. Agricycle’s women-focused program turns coconut shells and palm kernels into charcoal.

Supply chain

The seed financing round, led by Wisconsin’s MaSa Partners and CSA Partners, will help Agricycle launch Field Better Ingredients to supply upcycled ingredients to consumer packaged goods manufacturers.

Participating investors include Clean Energy Trust, Wisconsin Investment Partners, Brightstar Wisconsin, Kinetic Ventures and angel investors.