How a University Challenge Sparked a Food Business in Uganda

When Esther and her teammate Jackline first saw the Food Systems Innovation Challenge advertised in their university group chat, they almost ignored it. Their small business was producing tomato sauce and ketchup from surplus tomatoes in Uganda, but competing in an international innovation challenge felt like something other teams would do. "We thought, 'This isn't for us.' There will be teams with much bigger ideas," reflects Esther.

Everything changed when one of their lecturers invited them into her office. She encouraged them to apply, convinced they had what it took to compete. More importantly, she made them believe it themselves. That conversation became the beginning of a journey that would eventually connect them with farmers, international mentors, researchers and collaborators across the world.

Growing beyond the classroom

Success Tribe entered the Challenge in 2024 with a simple ambition: create higher-quality tomato products while reducing the large amounts of tomatoes that go to waste in Uganda every year. But developing a product was only part of the experience.

Over six months, the team learned how to manage a budget, document expenses, organise online meetings across countries and collaborate with people from different cultures. What had started as a university project gradually became something that felt like a real organisation.

The journey didn't end at the finals

Reaching the finals of the Food Systems Innovation Challenge opened another unexpected door. The team continued into the Youth Food Lab, joining young innovators from around the world to further develop their business. The international network proved just as valuable as the workshops themselves.

During one of the pitching sessions, Esther caught the attention of a researcher from Penn State University. After the programme ended, that single conversation developed into a collaboration. Students from Penn State began working on new packaging concepts that could help Success Tribe compete with imported brands and reach larger markets.

Working with communities, not for them

The team knew that reducing tomato waste required more than producing better ketchup. It meant working directly with the people who grow and sell tomatoes every day.

Through the Challenge, Success Tribe partnered with a local market community of farmers and vendors. Together, they explored better post-harvest handling methods and experimented with value-added tomato products, including tomato jam and chilli sauce, creating additional income instead of letting surplus harvest go to waste. 

The process wasn't always easy. As young students, they sometimes found themselves teaching farmers who were decades older than they were.

That mutual exchange became one of the team's greatest achievements. Together with the community, they helped reduce tomato waste while creating new opportunities for local producers.

Building something bigger than a product

Today, Success Tribe has grown into Jest Foods Industries, a registered social enterprise producing a range of tomato products while continuing to work with local farmers.
Their network of collaborating farmers has expanded from around 15 people during the Challenge to more than 80 today. Their products are now sold through small shops, mini markets, and schools, while the team works towards the certification needed to reach supermarkets across Uganda. At the same time, they continue developing new ideas, including a probiotic ketchup designed specifically for the local market.

Their ambitions extend beyond growing a business. They want to create opportunities for young people, strengthen local food production, and demonstrate that high-quality tomato products can be made in Uganda using locally grown tomatoes.

Looking back, Esther doesn't describe the Challenge as a single milestone, but as the point where everything started to accelerate. Beyond helping them develop their business, it taught the team practical skills in budgeting, project management, financial accountability, collaboration, and professional communication, while connecting them to an international network that continues to open new opportunities today.