By Gabriel Ameh
LAGOS — Moppet Foods, a female-led Nigerian baby food company, has begun operating a modular biodigester that converts organic factory waste into clean energy and biofertiliser.
The project, supported by EHA Impact Ventures (EIV) and co-investor MotherFood International, is expected to help the company reduce its dependence on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), cut emissions and lower production costs.
The biodigester can process up to 73 tonnes of factory waste annually while producing about 62 tonnes of biofertiliser each year.
According to EIV, the system is expected to reduce Moppet Foods’ carbon emissions by an estimated 171 tonnes of CO₂ annually and cut operational costs by approximately 15 per cent.
The company expects the savings to help it maintain affordable prices for families while improving the sustainability of its production process.
The biodigester project followed EIV’s “Waste to Biogas: Powering Nutrition in Nigeria” fundraising campaign, which was launched to support Moppet Foods’ transition from treating factory waste as a cost to using it as a source of energy and agricultural value.
MotherFood International purchased the biodigester for Moppet Foods, following an earlier $80,000 co-investment by MotherFood International and EIV that helped the company move into a new factory and expand its production capacity.
EIV said the expansion increased the amount of organic waste generated at the facility, while the company’s reliance on LPG created additional operating costs.
With the biodigester now operational, the waste generated during food production can instead be used to produce energy for the factory and biofertiliser for farmers.
More than 50 smallholder farmers are expected to benefit from access to the biofertiliser generated by the system.
Evelyn Castle, CEO and Co-Founder of EHA Impact Ventures, said the initiative demonstrated how investment could help businesses scale while creating measurable benefits for communities and the environment.
“At EIV, our objective is to give founders the capital and support they need to scale their businesses and deliver measurable impact for the communities they serve,” Castle said.
She added that the project showed what could be achieved when investors worked with businesses to address both commercial and environmental challenges.
For Moppet Foods, the project could also provide a pathway to expand its waste-to-energy model beyond its factory.
The company plans to explore the collection of organic waste from surrounding homes, factories and communities in Lagos and convert it into clean energy and other useful products.
The initiative could also offer a response to the city’s persistent waste management challenges, particularly during the rainy season when organic waste can accumulate in drainage systems and contribute to flooding.
Roberta Edu, CEO of Moppet Foods, said the company remained committed to using its business to address child malnutrition while building a more sustainable production system.
“Together, we are working to ensure Moppet Foods achieves its dream of reducing child malnutrition by 40% in our target communities by 2027,” Edu said.
The company and its partners see the biodigester as more than an energy solution, describing it as a model for how women-led food businesses can turn waste into economic value, reduce emissions, support farmers and create greener jobs.
Credit: EHA Impact Ventures
