Aleem Ahmed

The Mastercard Foundation 2014 - 2015

Alumni

Legatum Fellow

From:

United States of America

Sector:

Agriculture

Location:

Ethiopia

Degree:

MBA, Sloan School of Management

Love Grain connects Ethiopian teff farmers to the multi-billion dollar international market for gluten-free products. Teff is an ancient grain with a subtle nutty flavor and is also a super food. At planting, Love Grain finances improved seed and organic fertilizers. At harvest, Love Grain purchases teff directly from farmers rather than from traders, tripling farmers’ profits. Love Grain crafts the teff into healthy and tasty gluten-free foods.

Aleem first moved to East Africa to work in the country that three generations of his mother’s family have called home. After helping half of Ethiopia’s 6 million teff farmers double their yields, he focused on a market-based solution for the challenges in bringing harvests to markets and developed Love Grain.

Most recently, Aleem was a Senior Program Associate with the Teff Value Chain team at the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency. Before that, he was a Program Development Manager at Innovations for Poverty Action-Kenya where he helped 500,000 western Kenyans access safe drinking water. Aleem began his career as a management consultant at L.E.K. Consulting.

Aleem holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Haverford College. He is currently pursuing an MBA at the MIT Sloan School of Management and an MPA at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

http://lovegrain.co/