Nkhata Bay Cassava Women’s Cooperative started in 2022 with 14 members and a single hand-cranked grater. In 2026 it exports 40 tonnes of packaged cassava flour a month to a supermarket chain in Zambia — under its own brand.
The leap happened when three things came together: a MWK 12M working-capital loan (unlocked by a signed offtake contract), a solar-powered mechanical grater bought at the Blantyre Agri Expo, and a QR-code traceability system that the buyer had made a requirement.
The co-op now trains six other groups. Their playbook — traceability, offtake, mechanisation, financing — is available in **Resources**.