Story

Spicy Farmers is a social enterprise aiming to empower communities and preserve wildlife in Liwonde National Park, through the production and sale of high-quality bird's eye chillies. Spicy Farmers currently supports ten communities around the park with 30 hectares of chilli farms.

The organisation was founded in 2020, when Frederik and Maureen decided to pursue their dream of improving the lives and economic prospects of needy people and communities, while also contributing to conservation objectives of nature and wildlife. After talking to various (local) organisations and getting inspired by people with a similar passion, they decided to set up a social chilli business that contributes to conservation led economic development, directly benefitting communities in the region of Liwonde National Park in Malawi. Farmers in these communities face many challenges, including crop damage by elephants, unfair markets, and lack of (proper) irrigation systems. By organising them, providing all the required inputs, and ensuring proper management and markets, Spicy Farmers aims to improve the livelihoods of these farmers and their families.

Our goal is to solve the human-elephant conflict and support as many farmers as possible. We have just started and plan to build the business step-by-step, in close cooperation with the smallholder farmers of our communities. In the future, we aim for Spicy Farmers to be economically sustainable, while contributing to conservation objectives of wildlife parks.

Dave is Park Manager at African Parks, a non-profit organisation that takes on the responsibility for rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks. Dave has over 20 years of experience in conservation, starting as a Section Ranger and later Conservation and Reserve Manager in various South African game reserves. In 2015, he joined African Parks as a Field Operations Manager at Bangweulu Wetlands in Zambia before moving on to Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve and finally Liwonde and Mangochi Forest Reserve in Malawi. He recently also participated in African Parks' historical elephant translocation. Dave has a true passion for conservation, which motivated him to join Spicy Farmers as Chairman of the Board and jointly solve the human-elephant conflict around Liwonde.

Dimitri is CEO (joint) of Meridian, an agribusiness with companies in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique. Dimitri is also Director of the Meridian’s Malawi based companies Farmers World and Agora, which he co-founded in 1995. Farmers World and Agora distribute farming inputs necessary for food security. In addition, they supply rural farming communities with other basic inputs and extension services. In addition to these management positions, Dimitri played an active role in various Malawian agricultural institutions, including the Fertiliser Association of Malawi, National Resource College, and Tobacco Control Commission. Dimitri's lifelong commitment to supporting Malawian farmers and assisting in their efforts to achieve sustainable livelihoods and national food security motivated him to fulfil a Board position at Spicy Farmers.

Maureen is a Strategy Consultant at McKinsey & Company in Amsterdam. As a Strategy Consultant, she supports large organisations worldwide – in private, public, and social sectors – to solve their most complex problems. She works closely with client executives to help organisations achieve their potential and ensure long-term success. Helping other people and making them thrive makes her enthusiastic and energetic, espcecially when it is for a good cause. This inspired her to start Spicy Farmers in her beloved Africa.