In Mangochi District, a young woman is reshaping the country’s agrifood narrative—not from a boardroom, but from a village kitchen.
At just 28, Jacqueline Joyreen Banda, founder of Jeyie Foods, is building a youth-led food enterprise that tackles malnutrition, poverty, and unemployment with the same ingredient that started it all: peanuts.
Her journey began with a sick child and a handful of groundnuts. “My cousin was malnourished,” she recalls. “We couldn’t afford supplements, so I made peanut butter at home. Within weeks, he recovered. That moment changed everything.”
What started as an act of care became a catalyst. In 2022, Banda launched Jeyie Foods — a social enterprise producing aflatoxin-free peanut butter, fortified porridge flour, and chili sauce, all sourced from youth and women farmers.
But this is more than a food business. It’s a model for grassroots-driven development.
Armed with a business degree from Shimla University in India, Banda returned to Malawi determined to build solutions rooted in community. “I saw potential in young people,” she says. “But I also saw hopelessness. I wanted to prove we could feed ourselves, create jobs, and solve our own problems.”
That vision birthed the Jeyie Foods Community Project, which trains women and caregivers to produce nutritious food for vulnerable children. What began with a single grinder has grown into a full-scale operation integrating nutrition, entrepreneurship, and climate-smart agriculture.
To date, Jeyie Foods has trained 217 youth, partnered with 178 smallholder farmers, and helped 317 children and 119 women recover from malnutrition. Its products — all pre-certified by the Malawi Bureau of Standards — are becoming household staples across Mangochi and beyond.
The company’s youth-first approach is anchored in Village Savings and Loan (VSL) groups, which provide microloans, startup capital, and financial literacy. “Most of our members had never held a bank account,” Banda says. “Now they’re saving, investing, and running microenterprises. That’s the transformation we’re after — not just income, but confidence.”
Her work is gaining continental recognition. In 2024, Banda became a Fellow of the Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture (CALA), an AGRA-led initiative. She also serves as a Chili Value Chain Ambassador for African Food Changemakers and is a Mandela Washington Fellow.
“Food is more than sustenance,” she says. “It’s politics, it’s empowerment, it’s our future. When we feed people, we give them the power to dream again.”
Last month, Banda joined Malawi’s delegation to the Africa Food Systems Summit (AFSF) in Dakar, Senegal. The summit sharpened her vision and expanded her network. “We’re already working on a food safety and hygiene project,” she says. “Safe food is healthy food — and that’s our core.”
She also gained insights into branding and market positioning. “I saw how other African entrepreneurs package their products for global markets. It opened my eyes to how much more we can do.”
Back in Mangochi, the Jeyie Foods processing unit hums with activity. Young workers label jars marked From Farm to More Families — a slogan that reflects the company’s integrated value chain. Every crop grown by youth and women farmers feeds into a system designed to nourish communities and build resilience.
“Our goal is to replace imported supplements like Plumpy’Nut with affordable, locally made alternatives,” Banda says. “Why import solutions when we can grow and make them here?”
Looking ahead, Jeyie Foods plans to scale-up production and reach thousands more children. Banda envisions a Malawi where agriculture is seen not as a last resort, but as a pathway to prosperity.
To get there, she’s building partnerships with NGOs, government agencies, and private investors who share her vision. Her approach blends empathy with enterprise — proving that social impact and economic growth can thrive together.
In a region where many young Africans are turning away from farming, Banda is leading a quiet revolution back to the land — powered by innovation, inclusion, and integrity.
Her story isn’t just about peanuts and porridge. It’s about purpose — and the power of one woman to turn personal pain into public progress.
“Don’t wait for someone to feed your dreams,” she tells the youth she mentors. “Plant them, water them — and one day, they’ll feed the world.”
In Mangochi, that dream is already taking root.
About Jeyie Foods
• Founded: 2022
• Location: Mangochi, Malawi
• Founder: Jacqueline Joyreen Banda
• Core Products: Aflatoxin-free peanut butter, fortified porridge flour, chili sauce
• Youth Trained: 217
• Farmers Empowered: 178
• Children Reached: 317
• Women Empowered: 119
• Programmes: Nutrition training, youth agro-entrepreneurship, climate-smart farming, financial inclusion (VSLs)
• Vision: A Malawi where no child suffers from malnutrition, and youth lead food-secure, economically resilient communities.
