Creating ‘Sweet’ Success in Mali’s Mango Sector

As a regional transporter, Youssouf Coulibaly’s work centered on carrying goods and people along crisscrossing routes across West Africa. In 1997 his own life’s route changed when he was hired as a driver for a Malian women’s group traveling to Burkina Faso.

During the trip, Youssouf learned about the group’s plans to attend a training session on mango processing at a center that uses modern, internationally certified practices. Even though Mali is well known for its mangoes and produces a large volume of them yearly, there are few mango-processing plants in Mali certified in international standards. Most centers are small, informal operations that are unable to process large quantities and do not have the resources to invest in adhering to international standards.

Long after his trip to Burkina Faso, Youssouf pondered the idea of processing Malian mangoes and the opportunities it could create. In 2002 he took a chance and traveled at his own expense to Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, to receive training. After more hard work and determination, Youssouf finally opened, in 2007, his own mango-processing center, Kéne Yiriden (“Kéne Dougou Fruits” in the Bambara language).

Early on, Youssouf realized Kéne Yiriden needed additional help to become a successful business. He turned to USAID’s Agricultural Value Chain Initiative program, which ACDI/VOCA helps to implement under a 3-year, $1million subcontract from Abt Associates. Staff met with Yousouf to discuss his goals and how to achieve them. He told them his most pressing need was to get a loan to pay for new equipment, training in best practices for his workers and training for himself in business management.

The program worked with Kafo Jiginew, a microfinance institution, to facilitate a loan to Youssouf of 10 million CFA (about $25,000), which he immediately used to fund the needed training. He also was able to buy more mangoes from local mango farmers and add five new drying ovens to his previous two ovens, greatly increasing his capacity to process the mangoes.

Since then, the change that has taken place in his business has been clear, he says. Not only have his employees been able to apply best practices to increase quality and reduce waste, but Youssouf himself has become a better business owner.

“The project is a pragmatic and good partner,” he said. “Before I didn’t write things down on paper, but after the training I write down things like how much I’ve bought, stocks of supplies and client information.”

With the necessary capital to purchase more mangoes for processing and new drying ovens, Youssouf was able to increase his production levels significantly. In 2007 Kéne Yiriden exported 2 tons of dried mangoes to Burkina Faso and had 12 employees. As of the end of May 2008, the company had already exported 2.5 tons, and by year’s end, Youssouf expects to ship a total of 8 tons, quadrupling last year’s total exports.

In addition, the growth of his business has enabled him to more than double his employees: He now has a total of 26 employees, of whom 20 are women. More jobs mean more people in his community, including the smallholder farmers who supply him with mangoes, are adding to their families’ incomes.

Kéne Yiriden is on track to increase its business by an extraordinary 400 percent in 2009, and Youssouf has even bigger plans for the future. He is currently working to be certified as an organic mango processor in order to enter European and U.S. markets directly to obtain higher prices. Youssouf is ambitiously planning to triple his production levels in the coming years and double yet again the number of his employees.

“By creating employment, you fight against poverty and in that process you transform lives of the employees who process mangoes and those who produce them,” Youssouf said.

PDF version of success story (848 KB)