Our Story
The journey we embarked on started in 2014 when I was working as a project manager at a school construction project in a remote site called Alolololo, located in the Alebtong district of Northern Uganda. After a day's work, an elderly lady named Lucy approached me, expressing her desire to sell her piece of land. At first, I hesitated, as I had no plans to return or settle in that area. Curious about her reasons, I discovered that she needed the money to cover her medical expenses. Moved by her situation, I offered to help pay her medical bills instead of purchasing the land. In return, she insisted that I utilize the land for farming. Reluctantly, I decided to grow peanuts. Surprisingly, the harvest was abundant. I sold half of the peanuts in the local market and took the remaining half to the city, where I processed them into peanut butter and sold it at a local store.
To my amazement, I achieved a 150% return on investment with just half of the produce. This experience sparked my interest in value addition. As we delved deeper into our journey, we made a shocking discovery, The farmers, who were the backbone of the agricultural industry, received the smallest share of the value created. The processing of crops took place far away from where they were grown, leaving the farmers with little control over their profits and vulnerable to exploitation by other players in the value chain. Motivated to make a difference, we established Truism to redefine traditional farming. Our vision was clear: by adding value at the origin, we could have a massive impact on smallholder farmers and the entire value chain. Farmers would receive fair prices for their produce, eliminating the need to sell off their land, which served as their livelihood. With increased household income, they could access their basic needs, improve their health, and build wealth.
To promote sustainable agriculture, we focused on growing pulses. These legumes are a vital source of protein, high in fiber, and low in fat. They play a crucial role in ensuring food security, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and regions with limited access to animal protein sources. Additionally, pulses are more affordable compared to animal protein. In September 2021, we transformed Truism into an agribusiness firm, under the stewardship of Carolyn & Stella. We now work with a growing network of farmers, currently consisting of 21 farmer groups (comprising over 682 farmers, primarily women— 68.6%), in September 2023. These farmers are located across six districts of north and eastern Uganda, and our goal is to expand to encompass 10,000 farmers within three years (by 2025). Although pulses are widely available, the market is saturated with impure and toxin-contaminated products, particularly aflatoxin. We procure pulses from farmers at a fair price to address this issue.
Using AI-enabled technology, we machine-clean, grade, and sort the pulses, ensuring our health-conscious customers receive safe, high-quality food; Our efforts have propelled our growth tremendously, and we continue to make strides in the industry.