Social Entrepreneur Spotlight: Lilly Musaya
What inspired you to start your company?
My company called Angelstone implements various inclusive agribusiness models that can promote the growth of African women and youth into agri-entrepreneurs of greater profitability and power. At the moment, we have 40 smallholder farmers, especially women in Kasungu on contract producing soya certified seeds that we will buy back from them at a lucrative price. We also have an agro dealer shop called Vuna at Pondamali Trading Centre along Bunda road where we sell these seeds, fertilisers chemicals and other agri products.
Having been a seed multiplication farmer for 5 years, I was inspired by the interest and need of the smallholder farmers around my farm to get involved. So I contracted a few to produce grains in the 2018/2019 season. After I paid them and saw that they had managed to buy some assets from their proceeds, such as 1 farmer who bought a motorbike, I got encouraged to continue and do more. This is what birthed Angelstone, we would like to create more business and employment opportunities in agribusiness in rural areas of Malawi so to improve livelihoods.
Vuna, where Angelstone sells seeds, fertilisers, and other agricultural products.
What previous business experience did you have?
I have worked in various agricultural institutions since 2013 doing similar work in legume seeds value chains in Southern Africa. On a personal level, I have been growing legume and maize certified seeds under contract of different companies such as ICRISAT and Mgom’mera Seed Investments.
How has Flame Tree Initiative helped you?
Flame Tree is helping me put proper structures and policies for my business. Furthermore, I have gotten a chance to clearly strategize by developing a Business Development Plan and a marketing plan. In the pipeline are plans to increase the visibility of our company by setting up a professional website etc
What advice would you give to other people who might want to become entrepreneurs?
Firstly, to start. To persevere, especially when you experience losses or difficulties, learn from your mistakes and move on. It is also important to have a network of people in your business field for advice and help in accessing opportunities. Be careful about getting a loan to implement a new business idea or one you are not an expert in, the business might fail and leave you in financial problems, it is therefore better to fail cheaply using your own small finances.
So far, how many farmers have you supported? What greater impact has that had on the community?
In the 2018/2019 growing season I worked with 35 smallholder farmers, of which 25 were women. For the 2019/2020 growing season, I am working with 40 smallholder farmers and 25 are women. The outcome of contracting them has been increased productivity on their plots due to the trainings and on-the-job support we have given them, as well as quality seeds on credit. Due to increased productivity and selling to us at higher prices, their income in 2020 increased by 60% such that they were able to buy some new assets.
What are the biggest challenges you are facing?
The biggest challenge at the moment is securing a good market for the certified seeds we are producing with our farmers.
What goals do you have for 2020?
Our goal is to sell at least 30MT of our seed to an export market. Furthermore, we would also like to develop a brand for our seed and package and sell it at retail in various agro dealer shops in Malawi.
Smallholder farmers with which Angelstone is partnering.