I’m Emily, founder of Amboni Fine Foods. A venture born of a Tanzanian sunshine, entrepreneurial grit, and a stubborn refusal to settle for bland food. My background is in aerospace systems engineering, which means I originally studied to send jets across the sky, not send honey across continents. But somewhere between analysing supersonic airflow and perfecting CAD models, I realised the supply chains feeding us could use as much innovation as the ones flying us.
My inspiration came from the experience of growing up in a household where food was treated as both craft and science, thanks to my mother. She would and still does, travel across Tanzania in search of ingredients from regions she believes hold the richest flavour and highest nutritional density, often favoring them over their city-market counterparts. Surrounded by lush farms and her uncompromising standards for freshness, I developed an instinct for quality that stayed with me. Later, while studying in the UK, I tasted the difference, quite literally; between the nutrient-rich, unprocessed foods of my upbringing and the GMO-heavy “organic” options abroad. The contrast was undeniable. But that same contrast sparked a mission: to bridge the gap between African farmers producing exceptional, authentic food and global markets hungry for quality, traceable, and sustainably sourced ingredients.
Amboni is my way of proving that technology, sustainability, and tradition can share the same plate, and that the story of good food begins long before it reaches the fork.
With Red Arrows RAF Aerobatic Team Squadron Leader Jon Bond, at the RAF Fairford Airshow.
Some of the most exciting developments with Amboni Fine Foods have been those moments when the vision stopped being theory and started becoming reality.
Institutionally, the Tanzanian Embassy in London has offered us an official letter of appraisal recognising our efforts to build a company in the UK that uplifts Tanzanians. Which was a moment that felt like a bridge between home and our global ambitions.
In Kibaigwa, Haruna, one of the farmers we work with, told me with quiet pride that this season’s harvest will be good because “The wet season came in time for good soil health during seed cultivation.” Knowing that those grains would soon be on a chef’s table or at a wholefoods in England not by chance but because we’d built the bridge to get them there, is what grounds us.
One exchange that stayed with me came from someone in the UK food scene who couldn’t believe Tanzania could produce honey with the same methylglyoxal concentration as jars sold for £50–£70 at Fortnum & Mason. In the UK, that’s a luxury. In Tanzania, it’s simply what the bees make. Our Dodoma honey, crystalized, thick, sweet, and strong, is a perfect example of how quality can be the norm at origin, yet a rarity abroad.
Our approach focuses the UK’s current organic food supply chains by replacing long, opaque, and highly intermediated import routes with a direct, farmer-to-buyer model rooted in Tanzanian sourcing. Instead of relying on multiple middlemen, bulk commodity blending, and inconsistent quality standards, Amboni will work closely with small-scale farmers to produce crops to exacting specifications and maintain their identity from field to shelf.
By managing logistics end-to-end from regional aggregation points in Tanzania to tailored delivery schedules in the UK, we’re looking to shorten lead times, preserve product freshness, and provide transparency on origin, farming practices, and harvest dates. This model not only ensures superior quality and reliability for UK buyers but also allows them to market truly single-origin, ethically sourced products, which is still rare in the UK’s organic food space.
How have conversations with chefs and other food systems advocates helped to shape your approach?
Conversations with chefs and food systems advocates have been nothing short of illuminating, they’re a reality check and inspiration rolled into one. Chefs don’t just care about flavour; they care about the story behind every ingredient. And it is that passion that pushed us to go beyond quality and also focus on traceability, sustainability, and nutrient density.
Food systems advocates have challenged us to think bigger about impact—how Amboni can uplift farmers, reduce waste, and build resilient supply chains that respect both people and the planet. These dialogues sharpen our purpose and remind us that transforming food isn’t just about what’s on the plate, but how it got there.
In short, these conversations have turned Amboni from a supply company into a movement, one rooted in flavour, fairness, and future-ready thinking.
What inspires me most is the power of connection, linking the hands that grow with the tables that serve. Amboni’s model is built around this core idea: creating a seamless, transparent path from farmer to distributor, restaurant, catering, and community through intentional partnerships and rigorous traceability.
We focus on empowering farmers like Haruna in Kibaigwa by providing access to premium markets, while simultaneously collaborating with distributors and chefs who value provenance and quality. Our farm-to-shelf Ambra platform is a crucial part of this, ensuring every product’s journey is meticulously documented and shared, building trust throughout the chain.
Inspiration also comes from organisations that champion sustainable, equitable food systems. Innovate UK has been instrumental in supporting Amboni’s growth, offering guidance and resources that have sharpened our strategy and helped validate our technology-driven yet human-centred approach. Likewise, the IBACC Group’s expertise in investor readiness has been invaluable in navigating pre-seed funding.
Beyond institutions, the Slow Food movement and the Sustainable Food Lab remind us that genuine impact happens when communities; farmers, businesses, and consumers align around shared values of quality, sustainability, and fairness.
Together, these strategies and resources shape Amboni’s approach to building a supply chain that’s not just efficient, but rooted in respect for the land, the people, and the food itself.
Key takeaways from the Chefs’ Manifesto London Action Hub
The London Action Hub was the kind of gathering that fills both your notebook and your heart. I was grouped with Chef Arthur Potts Dawson, and together we dove into conversations that moved easily from indigenous greens to corporate catering. What struck me most was how the event blurred boundaries between cultures, cuisines, and disciplines. Two dishes in particular stayed with me: one reimagining a Gambian recipe with low-input barley, and the other transforming pumpkin leaves into something humble yet extraordinary. The latter made me smile, because pumpkin leaves are a Tanzanian delicacy, often cooked in coconut milk. Seeing it celebrated on an international stage felt like a quiet affirmation of our food heritage.
The workshops were equally energising. In the recipe transformation session with Sam Hamrebtan and Emily Gussin, I was reminded of the power of creative adaptation. How a single ingredient swap can shift a dish’s environmental footprint while still honouring its cultural story. It resonated deeply with Amboni’s own model, where we’re validating Tanzanian-grown products against global alternatives to quantify their value in taste, nutrition, and sustainability.
What lingered most was the shared momentum in the room. From seed saving and regenerative farming insights to frank conversations about community kitchens, it was clear that food isn’t just about feeding people, it’s about connection, dignity, and agency. I left with a sharper sense that our work at Amboni is part of a much larger movement. And that movement is both hopeful and unstoppable.
At the heart of Amboni is the belief that Tanzanian food is more than just produce, it’s a story, a science, and a legacy. Every bean, grain, and jar of honey carries the imprint of our land’s volcanic soils, the skill of smallholder farmers, and generations of balanced flavours. My vision is to build a bridge where this heritage doesn’t just survive in Tanzania, but thrives globally, inspiring chefs, nourishing communities, and proving that sustainability and premium quality can go hand in hand. In a world where supply chains are often faceless, I want Amboni to be the one that remembers the faces, the fields, and the flavour.
