Peter Kariuki

Kenyan entrepreneur who revolutionized food supply chains in East Africa through innovative tech solutions

Peter Kariuki is the founder and CEO of Twiga Foods, a groundbreaking Kenyan startup that has transformed the agricultural supply chain in East Africa since its launch in 2014. The company connects smallholder farmers directly with urban markets using mobile technology, eliminating middlemen and ensuring fair prices for producers while providing affordable goods to consumers.

Twiga's platform uses SMS-based ordering and mobile money payments, enabling over 15,000 small-scale farmers to access urban markets across Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu. This has reduced post-harvest losses by 40% and increased farmer incomes by an average of 25%. The company's cold-chain logistics infrastructure now spans 8 distribution centers, making perishable goods like tomatoes and mangoes available to 500,000+ urban households daily.

Kariuki's vision addresses systemic inefficiencies in Africa's agricultural sector, where 40% of produce traditionally rots before reaching markets. His approach combines mobile innovation with traditional trade practices, creating a replicable model for other developing regions. Twiga's success has attracted $12M in venture capital from investors like Lowercase Capital and Omidyar Network, demonstrating the viability of tech-driven solutions in emerging markets.

Learn more about Twiga Foods' impact at their official website and read case studies from Harvard Business Review.