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On a quiet backstreet in Mihango, Kenya, the gentle hum of machinery signals a small revolution underway.
Inside a compact workshop stacked with sacks of sorghum, millet, and brown rice, Ms Dora Mummani is quietly rewriting Kenya’s snacking story.
Her enterprise, IPOP Africa, stands as a living example of ICRISAT’s mission across the continent, transforming climate-resilient dryland crops into modern, high-value foods that generate youth employment, uplift local economies, and strengthen Africa’s capacity to feed itself in a warming world.
In a market dominated by imported starch and sugar, IPOP Africa presents a powerful counter-narrative, demonstrating how indigenous grains can transform the way Kenya eats and how value is shared along the food chain.
Through ICRISAT’s Smart Food program, nutritious millets and sorghum are being positioned as crops that deliver healthier diets through such enterprises.
They offer a low glycemic index, gluten-free options, high calcium, and a wide range of other nutritional benefits, while also supporting climate resilience, local processing, youth entrepreneurship, and stronger rural economies.
By transforming these once-underutilized grains into premium products, Dora is also bringing to life a vision that places women, youth, and dryland communities at the heart of Africa’s food future. ?
Today, IPOP Africa supports around seven jobs, from machine operators to cleaners and night guards.
ICRISAT Nutrition Specialist Ms Aliet Ugada, who has worked closely with IPOP Africa and identified it as a high-potential enterprise ready for ICRISAT’s incubation support to scale and expand its market reach, notes that the institute is currently working with 120,000 youth across 10 counties to nurture a new generation of value-addition entrepreneurs.
"For years, ICRISAT has been recognised for its leadership in seed systems, and we have progressively expanded this work with strong efforts in value addition.
"We’re driving the utilization and celebration of dryland crops, helping entrepreneurs raise their standards, refine their branding, and scale their businesses so their products succeed in the market” said Ms. Ugada.
Dr Edda Lungu, Scientist - Community Nutritionist/Public Health Specialist at ICRISAT and Ms Aliet Ugada, Scientific Nutrition Officer, ICRISAT with Ms Dora Mummani,during a training session
Dora moves with the unhurried confidence of someone who has mastered her craft. First, the grains are meticulously de-stoned, washed, and inspected.
Then they enter a specialized popping machine with no oil, no additives, just heat and controlled pressure, that transforms humble kernels into light, crisp pops.
A rotating drum blends each batch with natural flavours including honey, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom before a short dehydration process locks in freshness.
In under an hour, raw grain is transformed into a finished snack, packaged and ready for sale.
Recent upgrades and the centralization of all operations under one roof have doubled her efficiency.
Speaking on the broader significance of such emerging enterprises, ICRISAT Director General Dr Himanshu Pathak noted that businesses like IPOP illustrate the remarkable possibilities unlocked when innovation is paired with Africa’s resilient dryland crops.
“The future of Africa’s food economy lies in value addition, and ICRISAT remains a steadfast partner to the continent in making this increasingly possible.
"Every time we take a climate-smart crop and turn it into a market-ready product, we multiply its economic impact. ICRISAT’s dryland crops are perfectly suited for this transformation.
"They flourish where other crops struggle, offering the foundation for new industries that generate jobs, fuel entrepreneurship, and strengthen resilience across Africa,” said Dr Pathak.
ICRISAT staff showcasing value-added products at an event
IPOP Africa didn’t burst onto the scene overnight. Dora traces the inspiration back to 2019, during her Master’s research in the county of Embu in Kenya where she first encountered Japanese popping technology.
“I saw a machine,” she recalls, “but what I really saw was a pathway to lift our indigenous grains into modern markets without stripping their identity.”
The journey, however, was anything but straightforward. Importing the machinery required persistence and significant savings; while winning over the market demanded patience and several strategic pivots.
Her initial attempts to sell bags of popped grains at KSh 100 fell flat in price-sensitive neighbourhoods.
The breakthrough came at an organic farmers’ market in Kiambu, Nairobi, where consumers understood the value of clean, nutritious, and traceable snacks.
Across Kenya, ventures like IPOP Africa show how ICRISAT’s long-standing work in value addition is gaining renewed emphasis along the entire seed to shelf journey.
Building on this wider focus, ICRISAT now supports entrepreneurs through value-addition training, food safety and standards coaching, incubation services, market-readiness guidance, and improvements in product development and packaging.
These efforts help ensure that promising ideas can grow into viable and competitive businesses.
ICRISAT Africa Director, Dr Rebbie Harawa, applauded IPOP Africa as a powerful example of what is possible when local innovation meets the right support.
“When a small workshop in Utawala can turn sorghum into a nutritious, market-ready snack, it shows how science, placed in the hands of local innovators, creates dignity, jobs, and lasting impact.
“Our role is to de-risk bold ideas and ensure women and youth are given opportunities to lead Africa’s emerging value chains" said Dr Harawa.
Millet cakes are now a popular breakfast meal integrated into the regular staples, providing a thriving market for young people in Kenya
In Dora’s workshop, the final bags are sealed with a crisp hiss, warm air rising as each packet lands on the growing stack beside her. Cartons stand neatly in the corner, ready for delivery, proof that this small space is already supporting a much larger vision.
Her vision is focused and ambitious. She wants to grow her retail presence, create school friendly pack sizes, explore new flavours and keep every ingredient nutritious, local and connected to Kenya’s dryland heritage.
Her message to shoppers and retailers is just as clear. ? Support Kenyan grains, support Kenyan jobs, and recognise that our traditional crops can power modern innovation.
“Once people taste it, they get it,” she says with a smile. “You can feel the difference.”
Across Africa, ICRISAT is nurturing similar stories. ? Youth entrepreneurs are transforming dryland crops into breads, beverages, porridges, flours, cakes, and now pops.
These small workshops, training centres, and innovation hubs are the backbone of a larger continental shift. ?
A move from dependence to dignity, from raw grains sold cheaply to premium products with real market power.
And in workshops like Dora’s, supported by ICRISAT’s vision, Kenya is proving that resilient grains and local ingenuity can reshape lives and livelihoods.
