Turning waste into wealth: How Kenyan entrepreneurs are powering a greener bioeconomy

When mango season arrives in Makueni County, the fruit ripens faster than it can be eaten. The area is one of the largest producers of mangoes.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), Makueni is Kenya’s leading mango-producing county, with over 4.3 million trees and 28,696 farmers.

In 2025, the county produced an estimated 199,626 metric tons of mangoes, valued at Sh4.28 billion.

Although production is high, post-harvest losses can be significant, with estimates of over 40 per cent in previous years, driven by factors such as poor handling. Judy Mutunga spotted this gap and decided to fill it while securing financial stability.

She recounted how she grew up watching tonnes of fruit go to waste each year. Not only in the farms but also in the markets, explaining that many mangoes harvested for sale went bad before finding buyers.

“In Makueni, we produce a lot of mangoes. During the season, so many go to waste, yet people elsewhere face malnutrition,” Mutunga said.

The study, Socio‑Economic and Physical Factors Affecting Mango Performance and Productivity in Makueni County, Kenya, reports that, despite increased mango production, large post-harvest losses were recorded due to limited value-addition options during gluts.

According to a World Resources Institute (WRI) study, Kenya loses up to 40 per cent of the food it produces each year, and the waste is valued at Sh72 billion, which could be instead turned into positive value via bioeconomy strategies.

The gap between waste and want sparked an idea that would later grow into a company to tackle two intertwined problems, post-harvest losses and malnutrition.

 In 2020, Judy decided to act; she founded Ustawi Foods Limited, a social enterprise turning surplus mangoes into nutritious products.

In her approach, she uses locally available fruits, especially the orange-fleshed sweet potato and mango, to make affordable, nutrient-rich foods for Kenyan households.

A model rooted in advancing bioeconomy

At the centre of Ustawi Foods’ innovation is mango powder, a versatile product made from fully ripened mangoes harvested directly from smallholder farms.

Mutunga’s team trains farmers in the area on the importance of using organic products on their farms. They personally handle the harvest to ensure quality and organic standards.

“We use organic fertiliser and work closely with farmers to train them on sustainable farming practices,” she explained.

“When the mangoes are ready, we go and harvest them ourselves, then process and dry them; it takes about two days.”

The resulting mango powder is rich in vitamin A, easy to prepare, and suitable for both children and adults. It can be mixed with hot/cold water or milk and used in smoothies, porridge or desserts.

“Mango powder is healthy, affordable, and convenient. There’s no need for cooking, just mix and enjoy,” Mutunga said.

Besides mango products, Ustawi Foods also produces organic honey and dried fruits such as pineapple and mango slices for both local and export markets.

All are made without artificial preservatives, aligning with the company’s goal of creating a healthier nation through natural and traditional food products.

Empowering farmers and youth in Makueni

From a one-woman initiative, Ustawi Foods has become a small but significant player in Kenya’s growing bioeconomy, an emerging sector that turns biological resources into value-added products, creating jobs while promoting sustainability.

Ustawi Foods has now onboarded over 500 farmers across Makueni, most of whom had previously lost income due to fruit spoilage.

Mutunga said they buy mangoes at a relatively higher-than-market price, giving farmers a reliable market and better returns.

She added that it also helps in curbing the challenge of unfaithful farmers who might decide to sell their mangoes to other buyers due to desperation.

“We have seen parents educate their children because of mangoes. We have seen jobs created for young people who help in picking and transporting fruits,” she said.

Judy believes her journey is also about resilience and representation. She admitted that sometimes she felt like giving up, but kept pushing because of the change she is creating and the people who depend on her company for a living.

“For women and youth in business, it’s about resilience and grinding; there is no giving up,” she advised.

Replacing Charcoal with Briquettes in Mombasa

Hundreds of kilometres away from Makueni, in Mombasa, are Claris Mcharo and Chrispine Karisa, who were grappling with another environmental challenge, deforestation caused by charcoal burning.

According to Global Forest Watch, Kenya’s forests are shrinking.

Recent mapping shows forest cover at roughly 8.8 per cent of land area, with annual tree-cover losses measured in tens of thousands of hectares.

A major immediate cause is harvest for charcoal and firewood, fuel that still supplies about 70 per cent of Kenyan households’ cooking needs.

The charcoal value chain supports many livelihoods, yet it also drives forest degradation, raises carbon emissions from land-use change, and contributes to dangerous indoor air pollution that also kills thousands annually.

“We noticed the gap where people rely on charcoal because it’s available, but it’s destroying our forests,” Mcharo said, the co-founder at Stracom Limited.

A sustainable alternative

In response, they founded Stracom Limited, a start-up that produces carbonised briquettes from coconut husks and shells, offering an eco-friendly alternative to charcoal.

For years, coconut husks and shells, the by-products of Kenya’s thriving coastal coconut industry, have been treated as waste, often left to rot or burned in open fields.

According to the Kenya Coconut Development Authority (KCDA), the country produces over 270 million coconuts annually, yet more than 60 per cent of the by-products, such as husks and shells, go unused.

Improper disposal contributes to methane emissions and air pollution, undermining the very ecosystems that sustain coastal livelihoods.

This waste stream represents a lost opportunity for Kenya’s bioeconomy, which seeks to replace fossil-based products with bio-based alternatives.

Coconut shells have a high carbon content, making them ideal for conversion into carbonised briquettes, activated carbon, or organic fertiliser.

By turning these residues into briquettes, Stracom taps into Kenya’s emerging bioeconomy, where organic waste is reimagined as a raw material for clean energy.

From waste to clean energy

The process begins with collecting coconut husks and shells from small-scale farmers and processors in Kilifi, Malindi, and Kaloleni.

The materials are then burned in low oxygen to produce biochar before being mixed with cassava flour, which acts as a natural binder. The mixture is then compressed into briquettes and sun-dried for several days before packaging.

“We rely on sunlight for drying, which can be unpredictable, but we are working towards solar dryers,” Mcharo said.

The process yields three main by-products: bio-oil, wood vinegar, and activated charcoal.

“Bio-oil can be refined for energy use, while wood vinegar serves as an organic pesticide or fertiliser when diluted with water, then the activated charcoal is used to make the briquettes themselves,” Karisa explained, a sales representative at Stracom.

Cleaner cooking, greener planet

Each briquette burns longer and cleaner than ordinary charcoal, reducing smoke and saving households money.

A single kilogram of Stracom briquettes, sold at Sh30, is enough to boil githeri or beans for a family of six.

“Briquettes are better, they are durable, affordable and friendly to the environment,” he said.

He said that when transformed through controlled pyrolysis, the resulting briquettes significantly cut emissions and deforestation pressures, adding that it not only offers a renewable substitute for charcoal but also supports circular production systems that reduce waste, protect forests, and create green jobs.

The company’s impact extends beyond energy as it has created jobs for over 20 farmers supplying raw materials and seven full-time workers, in addition to more than 20 indirect workers involved in collection and logistics.

Challenges faced by Stracom

Despite its promise, Stracom faces challenges with awareness. Mcharo explains that many consumers remain attached to traditional charcoal, unaware of the environmental harm it causes or the benefits of briquettes.

“It’s been tough convincing people to switch, but slowly, the community is embracing them, especially hotels and schools,” she noted.

The company also struggles with the transportation of raw materials to the company and the finished goods to the clients. Karisa explained that they are forced to do the transportation once in a while after the farmers have piled up husks to a substantial quantity.

Also, sunshine for drying is another challenge for them due to its unpredictable nature. He says that on bad days they produce about 200 Kilograms and on a good day 500 Kilograms.

Yet, with support from partners like the Kenya Forest Service, which links them to training groups, Stracom continues to expand.

They are now working towards scaling up production to two tonnes of briquettes per day from the newly bought big machine, to secure a solar-powered dryer to stabilise operations.

Bioeconomy at the grassroots

From Makueni’s mango fields to Mombasa’s coconut coast, these two enterprises share a common thread: they are turning local waste into economic and environmental opportunity.

Embodying Kenya’s emerging bioeconomy, a circular system where organic materials are recycled into valuable products that feed people, power homes, and protect the planet.

At the frontline of advancing this transition is the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Africa Centre, working with local entrepreneurs in Kenya.

They have partnered with Swedish organisations like the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) for funding and Sweden Business to implement projects like Advancing Bioeconomy in the Development of Kenya (ABDK.

The ABDK programme aims to strengthen Kenya’s bioeconomy by supporting innovation and sustainable enterprise development through grants, workshops, expos, and training seminars.

It also facilitates knowledge-sharing between government, academia, and private sector actors to accelerate inclusive green growth across the country.

To DONATE or Pledge: CLICK HERE