Ugandan baking expert, Asha Batenga, shows how to bake protein-rich and tasty bread using soy flour that WISHH provided through the USDA Market Access Program in a “Soy is Good” campaign for bakers with long-term WISHH strategic partner, SESACO Ltd.

ASA-WISHH’s leveraging of strategic partnerships in Africa continues to yield strong results in a fresh new “Soy is Good” promotion in Uganda.

WISHH is utilizing USDA Market Access Program funds and ZFS soy flour to work with long-time supply chain partner, SESACO Ltd., in implementing the “Soy Flour for the Modern Baker” promotion. The campaign, which includes videos and even a What’s App group for followers, features Ugandan baking expert Asha Batenga.

Batenga, who has a strong social media following, encourages bakers to use soy flour because of its enormous advantages in taste, nutrition and yield. “The soy flour is nutritious and the protein content is very nice,” she says.

Batenga adds that soy flour makes great foods for the commercial market and encourages other bakers to join the campaign.

The campaign is providing an opportunity for SESACO CEO Charles Nsubuga to tell even more Ugandan bakers about the benefits of soy flour. He stresses that soy is a key ingredient to adding protein value to SESACO’s products, also noting that soy flour increases the yield, color, and taste of bread and cake products.

“Bread and cake [with soy flour] have a higher nutrition value,” he says. “The crust is good, the texture is great, and the taste is also delicious.”

Nsubuga founded the company aiming to provide nutritious and tasty foods in Uganda. In 2011, Nsubuga signed a memorandum of understanding with WISHH that kickstarted his use of U.S. soy. Through the USDA Quality Samples Program, WISHH provided approximately 10,000 pounds of U.S. soy flour and textured soy protein to SESACO. The business has grown and the company has used U.S. soy value-added products for its innovative foods, ranging from soy millet porridges and soy yogurt. They were even credited with introducing the first frozen soy dessert in Uganda.

SESACO employees and customers have traveled to the United States for WISHH training, and WISHH has sent experts to work with the firm located in Kampala.

WISHH has also connected SESACO to U.S. suppliers, resulting in SESACO signing agreements to purchase soy flour from ZFS Creston LLC, a soy processor in Iowa. In addition, SESACO also purchased textured soy protein from Kansas Protein Foods. In 2018, Nsubuga participated in training for school and other institutional meals, led by WISHH with funding from the USDA Cochran Fellowship Program. But the relationship with WISHH didn’t stop there. Even during the pandemic, SESACO has participated in virtual lean management trainings and workshops that WISHH offered through USDA’s Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) Program.

Nsubuga has noted how helpful the WISHH relationships have been as his company expands, saying, “The economic impact is such a big one that could not have taken place without this kind of partnership.”

WISHH appreciates strategic partners like SESACO. They are key to for U.S. soybean growers’ commitment to supply safe, high-quality, and sustainable ingredients that provide a dependable supply of food for global communities that consumers can trust.