The Quinoa House of Musanze

The Afroquin team has found a home!

Illumineers alumni Maxime Kabanda (2023 cohort) and Emmanuel Rangiryayo (2024 cohort) now rent a house in Musanze, and have even obtained some tea-packaging machinery. They are getting ready for the standards inspectors to visit, as you can’t start production without a proper building.

“The Illumineers program didn’t just teach us, it gave us the belief that young people could lead and create impact. Now seeing Afroquin take shape feels like those dreams are becoming real,” reflects Maxime.

The guys worked hard for two years — Maxime at a water packaging company, Emma as a uni lab analyst — and are now investing their savings into their business. They are currently figuring out how to package porridge fortified with quinoa, and then they will extend into quinoa biscuits and bread.

The tea part was a happy coincidence. Emma learned about another company shutting down, and he convinced them to leave the machines with Afroquin for five months on a trial basis. Why have an empty space if you can use it productively?

“We hope this house will become a hub for innovation and learning, especially for smallholder farmers. Our first market will be early childhood development centres in Rwanda, and since I made a Bukavu connection at the Friendship Camp, maybe DR Congo comes in next,” concludes Maxime.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​