Our Story
At Chanzi, we use Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) to convert food waste into nutritious protein for animal feed. Founder and COO Sune Mushendwa, an architect by profession, began experimenting with these insects 8 years ago. He set out with the goal of finding a sustainable protein for animal feed which would reduce the industry’s over-dependence on environmentally ruinous fish and soya bean meal. Through iterations and meticulous data collection, he developed innovative, efficient and Africa specific methods for breeding, growing and harvesting BSF.​
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In 2020 he was joined by CEO Andrew Wallace who came with over 10 years’ experience running companies of different sizes in East Africa and was driven by the desire to find a profitable method of sustainably managing the escalating waste problem in his home country of Tanzania. Andrew vowed to take Sune’s production techniques to a commercial scale and replicate them throughout Tanzania and the surrounding countries. Chanzi have since made significant additions to the management team in the form of Engineering and Entomological expertise, expanded operations to 4 cities across East Africa and assumed the title of ‘Africa’s biggest bug business’.
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"Not content with how far we’ve come, we are continually improving our model and are now at the stage where we want to take our circular, profitable model to dozens more cities in East Africa with similar waste management problems."
Meet The Team
Andrew Wallace
CEO & Co-Founder
My personal dream is to sustainably manage 100% of organic waste produced in urban and semi-urban areas in East Africa. In Chanzi, I've found a profitable mechanism of doing this at scale.
Sune Mushendwa
COO & Founder
When no more fish end up in animal feed and no more organic waste ends up in landfills, we'll have reached our goal. Until then, we have a mission to accomplish and a business opportunity to take advantage of.​
Mayasa Mhina
Arusha Site Manager
With more than 20 years of experience in statistics, Mayasa strives to maximise the valorisation of organic waste at Chanzi. She believes converting waste into protein for animals and organic fertiliser can transform waste management across East Africa.
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Mika Mavanza
Arusha Production Manager
Eveline Mlay
Dar Site Manager
With a rich background in education, sales and marketing, and a degree in political science and sociology, Eveline brings her expertise to managing an insect farm.
John Zaburi
Dar Production Manager
Mwangi Murigi
Nairobi Site Manager
Mwangi, a chemical and process engineer by profession, brings over 7 years of expertise in the animal feed industry. He's driven by a fervor for sustainable waste management, harnessing the potential of insects, with over 4 years leading insect farming operations. An advocate of the circular economy.
Benson Ominde
Nairobi Production Manager
Mika, a seasoned agronomist with a bachelor's degree, excels in the role of a production manager.
John is passionate about his work and continually seeks to expand his knowledge. His dedication ensures production operations run smoothly.
GIS/GPS specialist, a seasoned farmer with 3 years of expertise in BSF production, a distinguished fashion and runway model.A man of many hats, he brings his artistic talents and leadership skills to our endeavors
Stanley Senaji
Jebet Cherogony
Beatrice Ngungiri
Financial Controller
Data Management and IT
Data Management and
Project Administrator
As an experienced finance professional, Stanley thrives on turning numbers into actionable strategies that drive growth and deliver results. With over 4 years of working experience, he specializes in Strategic Advisory, Financial Analysis, Compliance and Risk Management, and Investor Relations. He's also a keen Formula 1 fan!
With a background in Mathematics and experience in analytics, Jebet is passionate about using data and technology in decision making and improving systems and processes.
As a mining engineer, Beatrice channels her dedication to sustainable practices into the realm of waste management. In her role as Data Management and Project Administrator at Okota, Chanzi's sister company, she is committed to promoting eco-friendly solutions and driving impactful projects.
Prof Norbert Mencke
Chief Veterinary Advisor
Steve Migwambo
Chemical Engineer
Daniel Mshana
Engineering Lead
One of the worlds’ leading parasitologists and experts in Animal health and nutrition. Norbert assists Jon with Chanzi’s R&D department and leads experiments into the physical and environmental benefits of incorporating BSF into livestock diets.
​Background in Chemical & Process Engineering, brings a wealth of experience in QC, design, prototype, scaling up and process improvement. He typifies first-principles thinking. Always on the lookout for evaluating process economics, passionate about sustainable technologies and climate mitigation.
Danny's focus lies in harnessing his engineering expertise to meticulously craft cutting-edge systems and machinery solutions. By synergizing innovative design with sustainable practices, his mission is to pave the way towards a greener, waste-reduced future.
Dr Stefan Heinke
Sustainability Advisor
A fierce advocate for sustainable business and has worked as sustainability director for one of the worlds’ largest companies. He joined Chanzi on account of it being one of the few business models which ticks the vast majority of SDG’s.
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Jon Trimarco
R&D Advisor
Global warming is the single biggest challenge facing humanity. On any given day, one Chanzi site takes approximately 409KG of methane, the equivalent of 9 metric tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere and converting it into protein and soil amendments
Aziza Konyo
R&D Laboratory Manager
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Aziza, an experienced environmental scientist, is nearing completion of her PhD research on Valorisation of Sisal waste using the black soldier fly. In our R&D department, she's leading experiments related to BSF substrates, attractants, growth rates, and pest control.
Our Geographical
Footprints
Chanzi is growing rapidly. We now have five sites in Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Nairobi and Mombasa.
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