Established in 2014, DEYI Ltd started as a mushroom tube business but now focuses on production, farming, and processing of mushrooms through smallholder groups. The business model includes mushroom tube production, mushroom farming, and processing mushrooms into various forms to mitigate post-harvest losses and enhance food security.  These products are being enriched with additional vegetables and dried small fish (isambaza) from Lake Kivu. In doing this, DEYI Ltd aims to enhance food and nutrition security through its products while also supporting mushroom farmers with reliable market opportunities. With 21 employees (12 women and nine men) it operates in the city of Kigali and surrounding Gasabo District.

Contact: Website

Scaling Up Mushroom and Vegetable Production for Value-add Products for the Domestic Market

The project demonstrated to other agribusinesses, investors, and stakeholders how an inclusive, contract farming-based model can effectively integrate smallholders, strengthen supply chains, and create commercially viable, investment-ready businesses.

In this 15-month project from September 2024 to December 2025, CASA helped DEYI Ltd to establish a modern processing unit to produce and supply high-quality, nutritious instant soups and mushroom powders – aiming to be the first locally-produced instant soup product on the Rwanda market. With a total cost of £128,580 (£55,855 from CASA), the partnership with DEYI Ltd helped to scale up mushroom and vegetable production by formalising and strengthening its supply chain, operations, and business systems. DEYI Ltd has engaged 4,361 smallholders (78% women) to date through contractual agreements to produce mushrooms, vegetables, and spices, while providing training in good agronomic practices, climate-smart agriculture, post-harvest handling, and ongoing advisory support to build resilient microenterprises. CASA’s technical assistance further supported DEYI in modernising production, processing, operations, financial management, and marketing systems, establishing a reliable distribution network, and ensuring quality and sustainability of raw materials.

The project included technical assistance for development of a business plan; company management systems; and a transformational environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework to enhance climate change adaptation. Following technical assistance provided for analysing required competences in mushroom processing and obtaining necessary certifications, DEYI has identified the key skills, knowledge, and operational standards needed for producing value-added mushroom-based consumable products. This process has guided the company in aligning its production practices with industry requirements and quality standards. Currently, DEYI is finalising compliance with the identified standards and progressing toward securing the relevant certifications, ensuring that its mushroom-based products meet regulatory requirements and are market-ready.

Also included in the CASA technical assistance was support for the acquisition, installation, operation, and maintenance of processing and packaging equipment. Ultimately, the initiative positions DEYI for sustainable growth, expanded market reach, diversified product offerings, improved smallholder livelihoods, and long-term innovations such as clean energy integration, while embedding ESG practices across its operations.

Building on these results, DEYI plans to move into a consolidation and scaling phase. The company intends to progressively increase processing volumes, diversify its product range, and expand its formal supply base toward its longer-term target of 15,000 smallholders, while seeking external financing to unlock deferred investments, including climate-resilient and clean energy solutions. DEYI also plans to advance compliance with certification and ESG requirements, strengthen its distribution network, and deepen penetration within the domestic market by engaging more professional businesses to develop a larger distribution of partnerships for the commercialisation of its products.  In this way, the project has not only achieved its core objectives but has positioned DEYI to translate the demonstrated model into sustained growth, wider impact, and investment readiness.

Updated: March 2026