A great way to support farmers, entrepreneurs and small businesses in Malawi is to buy ethically produced, fairly traded Malawian products here in Scotland.
This supports the creation and sustainability of livelihoods for people right across the supply chain, from small holder farmers in rural Malawi to your local fair trade retailers in Scotland. Not only that but you can now get some fantastic Malawian products in Scotland, for example Kilombero rice and Mzuzu coffee...
Malawian Gin
As part of our efforts to help support trade with Malawi the Scotland Malawi Partnership is delighted to work in partnership with Malawian owned, UK based business Africanos World to bring the world famous Malawi Gin to Scotland. In celebration of this we are excited to bring you an exclusive offer for SMP members.
SMP Members Offer
- The RRP (recommended retail price) for a (75 CL) bottle of Malawi gin here in the UK is £34.99, including all taxes and duties. Africanos World are kindly offering a £5 discount on this RRP for any orders placed by SMP members (so £29.99 per bottle).
- If SMP members are interested in ordering 12 bottles or more, this qualifies for a further ‘trade’ discount taking the unit cost to £24.99, £10 off the normal RRP!
To access the offer visit www.africanosworld.com/products/malawi-gin-export-dry-gin
Africanos World Ltd is a fully registered, UK based family business founded by Blantyre native Francis Kaunjika in June 2015. For more information please visit www.africanosworld.com, email or phone 01274 590004
Kilombero rice
Little known outside East Africa, where it is very popular, Kilombero rice is uniquely tasting and highly versatile rice whose ability to absorb flavours from vegetables, fish, and meat makes it ideally suited for risotto. Did you know that 90kg represents the amount of rice sold that would enable a Malawian farmer to pay for a year’s basic secondary education for one child!
Mzuzu coffee
With altitude, climate and weather conditions ideal for cultivating quality coffee Mzuzu is fast growing a reputation as one of the best coffee growing regions in the world. In the 2014/15 Malawi Taste of Harvest coffee competition, Mzuzu took the top five positions. Did you know that the first coffee plant in Malawi was introduced in the 1870s by Scottish settlers and originated from the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh!
So why not make the change to 'buy Malawian' to bring a taste of Africa to your home and support sustainable economic development in one of the poorest countries in the world at the same time.
Malawian products available to buy online…
- Kilombero rice (JTS)
- Mzuzu Fairtrade ground coffee (Traidcraft)
- Scotland Street Coffee (Brodies)
- Malawian AAA coffee (Luckie Beans)
- Malawian Mzuzu coffee (Ovenbird Coffee Roasters)
- Lost Malawi Tea (Rare Tea Company)
- Peanuts (Liberation Nuts)
- Sugar (Co-operative own brand Fairtrade sugar)
- Geobars (Traidcraft)
- Ubuntu Fairtrade Cola
- Malawian Gin (Africanos World)
- Malawian Chisi Coffee (Artisan Roast) NEW
Retailers in Scotland that stock Malawian products…
Kilombero rice now available at Margiotta stores across Edinburgh. It is also available in many Co-operative Food shops across Scotland.
Scotland Street Coffee now available online and also in store throughout Scotland. see list below:
- Dobbies Garden Centres: Ayr, Braehead, Dundee, Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Inverness, Livingston, Milngavie, Perth, Sandyholm & Stirling
- Raemoir Garden Centre - Banchory AB31 4EJ
- Deli Ecosse - Callander FK17 8ED
- Dollar Deli - Dollar FK14 7DG
- Museum Context - Edinburgh EH1 2JW
- Old Town Context - Edinburgh EH1 1PB
- The Elephant House - Edinburgh EH1 1EN
- Royal Botanic Garden - Edinburgh EH3 5NZ
- Brodies Country Fare - Forres IV36 2TD
- The Country Kitchen - Melrose TD6 9PQ
Malawian products are also available from:
- One World Shop (Edinburgh)
- The Coach House (Balmore)
- Rainbow Turtle (Paisley)
- Co-operative Food (nationwide)
- Traidcraft stockists (nationwide)
To find out more about Fair Trade in Scotland visit the Scottish Fair Trade Forum
At a macro level Malawi is making real progress towards reducing it's dependency on development aid and in attracting more foreign direct investment (FDI) to grow the country's economy. For this investment to have the desired impact, and improve the lives of the eight million Malawians that live on less than £1/day, Malawi must grow the private sector to be able to support the development and growth of new and existing enterprises. This in turn leads to job creation and results in a multiplier effect in terms of economic activity, i.e. people have more disposable income to spend in their communities, which supports the growth of other businesses.
Malawi has an estimated 1,000,000 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), ranging from 1 to 100 employees. Many of these MSMEs are operating in the informal economy and without access to financial capital often struggle to survive and grow. A number of the SMP members (see below) are engaged in this area on the ground in Malawi, working with a range of entrepreneurs and MSMEs to provide them with access to funds (mainly via repayable loans) but also training and support. Without such levels of small scale investment, benefits from larger scale investment cannot be sustained or accessed by the wider population.
To find out more about how you can get involved please visit our members' sites, below.
Entrepreneurs and micro enterprises
Small to Medium Enterprise development
Crowd-funding
Another alternative to support investment in Malawi is to use crowd-funding, for example through a platform like Kiva, where you can make a small loan (from around £20) which goes towards providing a micro-loan for a small business, which is then repaid and which you can re-invest.
Advice and Guidance
For practical information and guidance about investing in Malawi please visit the Malawi Investment and Trade Centre (MITC).
Beautiful white sandy beaches on the shores of Lake Malawi, awe inspiring landscapes and wildlife, luxury lodges, off the beaten track adventures and opportunities to experience authentic traditional rural life. As a tourist destination Malawi offers something for everyone in a warm, friendly and safe environment.
Tourism also offers Malawi a key opportunity for sustainable development of the local economy. It brings in much needed foreign currency, offers local people employment and ensures the future of conservation of Malawi’s National Parks and fragile ecosystems, such as Lake Malawi and Mount Mulanjie.
Getting there
While currently there are no direct flight to Malawi from Scotland a number of well established airlines offer routes to travel there via regional African hubs in Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa.
Kenya Airways
Ethiopia Airlines
South African Airways (SAA)
Experiencing the 'Warm Heart of Africa'
Whether you are a backpacker, birdwatcher or a business woman there are a large variety of tour operators in Malawi can help you create a once in a lifetime experience for your visit tailored to your own itinerary. For more details, guides, maps, advice and more visit Malawi Tourism.
If you are looking for something a bit different the Responsible Safari Company offers unique experiences designed for groups (e.g. schools, universities, corporate) which includes opportunities to complete challenges (e.g. hiking and cycling) and work on community development projects. This is team building on a whole other level.
Lake of Stars
The 'Lake of Stars' is Africa's most famous music festival and is fast becoming one of the best known in the world. Featuring artists from all over the world (including Malawi, Scotland, Nigeria and South Africa) every September the festival brings thousands of music lovers to the shores of the lake (in Mangochi) to enjoy a truly unique experience of music, art and culture. Definitely one for the bucket list.
Have you got experience in business management in areas such as: strategy, financial accounting, people development and marketing? If so another way to support Malawi's economic development is to invest your time by volunteering and passing on some of your skills, knowledge and experience.
They offer a number of opportunities for supported volunteer placements (1-2 years) in 25 countries, including Malawi. Traditionally many of these were in health and education but more recently there has been an increase in placements in the area of 'Management, Business and IT'.
They work with volunteer business consultants around the work to offer free consultancy services to entrepreneurs in Malawi, Rwanda and Uganda. The service is delivered remotely using Skype, phone and e-mail, so the volunteer remains in their home country while offering the support.
They offer a range of mentoring placement opportunities (usually 3-6 months) for business experts (10+ years experience) to use their skills and experience to contribute to private sector development across the world, including in Malawi. Challenges Worldwide cover travel and basic living costs for the placement.
