Our Mission & Story

"Maternal nutrition built from Rwandan crops, for the working mothers of Rwamagana."

Alice Muhimpundu, Founder of Nutrae

How it started

I am Alice Muhimpundu, a final-year Nutrition and Dietetics student at the University of Rwanda, graduating in 2026. My supervised clinical practice was at Rwamagana Provincial Hospital's nutrition unit, counselling pregnant and breastfeeding women. Nutrae is the direct application of that training: formulated against WHO maternal nutrition guidance, refined through sensory testing in Rwamagana, and reviewed by senior advisors.

In building Nutrae I saw that the gap in maternal nutrition in Rwanda is not awareness — it is price, trust and access. The peri-urban working mother in Rwamagana, earning a regular wage, deserves quality nutrition at a price she can pay and a brand she can trust.

I am not yet a registered dietitian, and I am honest about it. That is why Nutrae has a registered dietitian advisor (7 years' experience in maternal nutrition) and a food safety consultant on the team. This is the team a serious nutrition product needs.

What Nutrae is not

  • ×Not infant formula. Not Cerelac. Not Shisha Kibondo.
  • ×We do not sell at retail to rural mothers earning RWF 30,000 a month — the math does not work for them or us. That segment is reached through institutional procurement.
  • ×We do not pay Community Health Workers as a sales channel. We respect Ministry of Health policy.
  • ×We will not promise health centre placements until written agreements exist.

Where we are right now

Year 1 — Rwamagana validation

Aguka funding does not pay for operating losses. It pays for the regulatory path, the food safety setup, the first production run, and the pilot marketing that turns validated demand into operating business. Here is the plan, month by month.

Phase 1 · Months 1–6

Regulatory & food safety setup

  • Receive Aguka funding
  • Complete RSB certification dossier and inspections
  • Complete Rwanda FDA product registration
  • Sign formal aflatoxin testing agreement with a partner lab
  • Sign formal supply contracts with 2 women-led cooperatives
  • Confirm co-packing agreement with Kigali RSB-registered processor
  • Secure 2 pharmacy partnerships in Rwamagana town
  • Secure 1 institutional letter of intent

0 commercial units sold — by design. Selling a fortified product without RSB certification is illegal and we will not cut that corner.

Phase 2 · Months 7–9

Commercial launch & traction

  • Complete first production run — 1,500 packs
  • Launch retail distribution in 2 partner pharmacies
  • Run 2 ibimina demonstrations and 1 community event
  • Reach 100–150 packs sold per month
  • Confirm a second institutional buyer (LOI or signed contract)
  • Hire part-time distribution coordinator

First commercial revenue. Honest unit economics: 27% gross margin per pack, with shrinkage and laminate packaging built in.

Phase 3 · Months 10–12

Consolidation & follow-on funding

  • Reach 250–300 packs sold per month
  • Sign 1 institutional contract for monthly recurring supply
  • Reach gross-margin-positive on monthly cash flow
  • Submit follow-on funding application (BDF, BPN Rwanda, or Mastercard MSME)

300+ effective customers reached per month. 20 women smallholder farmers contracted. Documented case for Year 2 expansion to a second Eastern Province secondary town.

What happens after Year 1

Year 2 expands to one secondary town in Eastern Province (Kayonza or Nyagatare), funded by operating cash flow plus follow-on grant or loan. Full monthly overhead break-even arrives at ~1,000–1,275 packs in months 18–20. We will not promise three-district expansion in Year 2 — that would not be financeable from operating cash flow alone.

Our Core Values

1

Food Safety First

Every batch of peanut and sorghum is tested for aflatoxin. Cooperatives sign rejection clauses for non-compliant lots.

2

Women-Led Value Chain

Year 1 target: contracts with 20 women smallholder farmers. Year 3: 100. Documented contracts, not vague intentions.

3

Honest Pricing

RWF 1,500 retail, RWF 1,200 institutional. We will not undercut to a price that does not cover our cost base.

The team behind the product

Alice Muhimpundu

Founder & CEO

Final-year BSc Nutrition & Dietetics, University of Rwanda. Clinical practice at Rwamagana Provincial Hospital.

Jean Pierre Nkundizanyi

Registered Dietitian Advisor

7 years of experience in maternal nutrition. Personally reviewed the Nutrae formulation.

David Murenzi

Food Safety Consultant

Reviewed the Nutrae aflatoxin protocol and provides ongoing food safety oversight.