From peanut butter to purpose

Fueling Malawi’s Economic Rise: Turning Local Opportunities into Global Success Stories

Post was last updated: October 11, 2025

Key Business Points

  • Malawi’s youth-led food enterprises are tackling malnutrition, poverty, and unemployment, with companies like Jeyie Foods producing aflatoxin-free peanut butter, fortified porridge flour, and chili sauce.
  • Grassroots-driven development is a key model for social enterprises, with a focus on community-led initiatives and partnerships with smallholder farmers, as seen in Jeyie Foods’ work with 178 smallholder farmers and 217 youth trained.
  • Inclusive business approaches that prioritize youth and women’s empowerment, such as Jeyie Foods’ Village Savings and Loan (VSL) groups, can drive economic growth and social impact, with 317 children and 119 women recovering from malnutrition through the company’s programs.

As a young entrepreneur, Jacqueline Joyreen Banda is making waves in Malawi’s agrifood sector with her company, Jeyie Foods. Empowering youth and women is at the core of her business model, which focuses on producing nutritious food for vulnerable children and creating jobs for young people. Banda’s journey began with a personal experience, where she made peanut butter at home to help her malnourished cousin recover. This sparked a passion for using food as a solution to malnutrition and poverty.

With a business degree from Shimla University in India, Banda returned to Malawi determined to build a social enterprise that would drive positive change. Zinthu zinafike kwenikweni, or "things are happening," as the Chichewa phrase goes, and Jeyie Foods is a prime example of this. The company’s products are pre-certified by the Malawi Bureau of Standards, and its youth-first approach is anchored in Village Savings and Loan (VSL) groups, which provide microloans, startup capital, and financial literacy.

Banda’s work has gained continental recognition, with her becoming a Fellow of the Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture (CALA) and a Chili Value Chain Ambassador for African Food Changemakers. Kusowa kwa mbale, or "together we can," is a key principle of Jeyie Foods’ approach, which emphasizes collaboration and partnership. The company is working on a food safety and hygiene project, and Banda is scaling up production to reach thousands more children.

Looking ahead, Jeyie Foods plans to replace imported supplements with affordable, locally made alternatives, and Banda envisions a Malawi where agriculture is seen as a pathway to prosperity. Her approach blends empathy with enterprise, proving that social impact and economic growth can thrive together. As Banda says, "Tiyeni tizime," or "let’s stand up," and make a difference in our communities. With Jeyie Foods leading the way, Malawi’s youth are turning back to the land, powered by innovation, inclusion, and integrity.

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Vanessa Banda
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