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Industry Spotlight – Food Masters SA

Linda Manyeza

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Linda Manyeza: Tragedy to Transformation in South Africa 

Linda Manyeza, Founder, Food Masters South Africa 

Linda Manyeza founded agro-processing company Food Masters, which fights food waste by dehydrating fruits and vegetables that would not otherwise make it to market due to various factors.  

The enterprise was inspired by a period of personal hardship in Linda’s life. Her 

resilient spirit led to finding real solutions for food waste which usually end up in landfills while millions of people go to bed hungry daily.  

Linda is passionate about making a difference and is spearheading efforts to train small scale farmers in rural and peri-urban communities on how to dehydrate fruits and vegetables, providing sustainable income, improving nutrition and increasing food security. The focus is on training marginalised women and youth. 

Find out what they are doing to turn food waste into profit!!!

  • Food Masters is helping combat food waste in South Africa turning surplus fruits and vegetables into nutritional powders and snacks through dehydration 
  • Production scaling and access to dehydrating equipment are key challenges moving forward 
  • Food Masters is committed to renewable energy, especially solar power, given Africa’s abundant sunshine and ongoing electricity supply issues in the region 
  • Food Masters has developed training programs teaching women and youth in rural areas how to dehydrate food, fighting food waste and providing incomes 
  • Linda is looking for international partnerships – reach out: foodmasterssa@gmail.com 

Read more about Linda’s journey and her mission to fight food waste here: https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/zim-woman-in-bid-to-transform-africa-through-dried-foods-industry  

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Transcript

In a recent conversation on Food Waste Matters, Linda Manyeza, the founder of Food Masters SA, shared her inspiring journey of transforming a personal struggle into an enterprise that tackles food waste. Linda’s mission arose from her personal experiences, where she turned poverty into a purposeful drive to fight food waste and empower individuals economically.Based in South Africa, Food Masters SA uses dehydration techniques to convert surplus fruits and vegetables into nutrient-dense powders and snacks. However, it’s not just about creating consumable products. A key part of Linda’s vision is to empower rural and informal communities through training programs. These initiatives teach women how to dehydrate food, sparking a ripple effect where some of the trained individuals go on to start their own businesses and train others.But with every innovation comes its unique set of challenges. High on the list for Food Masters SA is the prohibitive cost of dehydrating equipment. Yet, Linda has been relentless in seeking solutions. Through strategic collaborations with equipment manufacturers, research institutions, and funding organisations, she has been working to secure solar dryers for beneficiaries, thereby allowing them to harness the abundant African sun in a productive way.Looking ahead, the future for Food Masters SA lies in scaling up, which Linda identifies as a pressing need. To achieve competitive pricing in the market and reduce costs, they need to increase their volume of production, matching the output of larger competitors, so investment in better dehydration equipment becomes crucial. However, true to Linda’s sustainable ethos, the focus remains on using renewable energy for this expansion.Linda’s journey is a testament to the power of a vision combined with grit and resilience. She highlights the importance of collaboration and partnership for achieving a broader social impact, stating that Food Masters SA is open to collaborations and inviting like-minded partners to join her in the fight against food waste. In Linda’s words, ‘we reimagine food waste as abundance,’ and she’s just getting started.