Sanku uses an innovative business model and technology to enable small mills to add vital nutrients to staple foods. Our fortification technology (the Sanku dosifier) was specifically designed for small mills and adds precise levels of nutrients into flour during processing. We offset the cost of nutrients by bulk buying empty pink flour bags, which we sell to our partner mills at the market rate. The margin from our flour bag sales neutralises the cost of the nutrients added, allowing our partners to fortify their flour at no added cost to themselves or their customers.
In preparation for this year’s scale-up, we piloted our very first market survey to identify new leads for our miller pipeline and confirm potential partner millers’ market distribution.
By surveying 5,119 small shops across Tanzania to learn which maize flour brands they sell; we identified 1,500+ potential new mill partners. Our development team contacted the most promising leads to assess their willingness and eligibility to join our program and since July, we have extended our network by installing 101 dosifiers at new partner mills.
We are on track to meet our goal of installing 180 dosifiers by the end of this year and increasing our reach so that 3 million people can access the basic human right of nutritious food.
Meet the new Sanku Millers
Mama Enna’s Mill received the first dosifiers from this year’s scale-up. Their supervisor, Daudi, is thrilled that his mill is the first in the area to fortify their flour, improving the diets and immune systems of their customers: “I am happy that my family and my community will finally eat affordable fortified flour”.
Dodi, from Kakwesigabo Mill, is proud that the families who buy his flour will now benefit from vital nutrients. He is confident that his flour sales will skyrocket thanks to the fancy new pink bags that he designed with our Marketing team.
To learn more about our work with small scale mills visit: https://projecthealthychildren.org/small-scale-fortification/
