we’re REINFORCING the CONNECTIONs BETWEEN PEOPLE AND PLANET via nature’s regenerative intelligence network. Honouring our past, so we can reimagine our future.

Ushering in a new era of ethno-ecological entrepreneurship, propelling marginalised communities toward sovereignty through mushroom cultivation. By blending ancestral knowledge with agri-innovation we're not only stewarding vulnerable ecosystems, but charting new pathways to economic empowerment.

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By 2050, Africa will face an unprecedented humanitarian crisis as a result of climate change, without intervention

With the population set to grow by 78%, a 10% reduction in rainfall, a 21F change in overall temperature, and a 50% loss in cultivated arable land, 1.45 billion people will be left accounted for in the food system.

MotherBud is an end-to-end mycelium cultivation platform enabling marginalized communities to build self-sustaining mushroom enterprises at scale. By building modular, low tech fruiting facilities, Motherbud is able to decentralize an otherwise industrial scale agricultural operation into disparate and often overlooked parts of the country.

By partnering with large, historically extractive industries with progressive development funds, and building community-centered, regenerative farms, MotherBud is able to empower women left behind by industrial activity in underserved regions.

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Mushrooms are a low input crop that require 10,000x less land, and 5,000x less water compared to the equivalent yield in beef or wheat. They grow on organic waste, and waste they produce can be composted to sequester carbon and remediate nutrient depleted soil.

Mushrooms are a rich source of protein and can support immune function and brain support, reducing healthcare expenditure by improving food security. We’re upskilling local women in aseptic technique, exposing them to new opportunities in a rapidly changing food production landscape, and supporting economic development.

Team

Kenny Morifi-Winslow is a social impact strategist connecting people to planet via nature’s regenerative intelligence network. As CEO of MotherBud, she is harnessing mycelium for the bio-economic empowerment of women leveraging indigenous knowledge.

Kenny M-W. Founder

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Brandon Morton is a Horticulturist with deep experience in low tech soil science and functional compound derivatives for medicinal application of plant knowledge. As Technical Lead at MotherBud, he oversees Myco-lab operations, Plant Pathology education, and Myco-Remediation.

Brandon M. Technical Lead

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Mary-Jane Morifi is the former Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer at Anglo Platinum, and Tiger Brands. She is a responsible for both companies most impactful policy and corporate responsibility programs, bringing social sustainability to the forefront of each business.

Mary-Jane M. Board Advisor

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Thumeka Mjambo is Senior Operator on the MotherBud Production Team. Joining as a Farmhand, she now leads training for women entering our program from the Pniel community in the Franschoek Winelands. As a pillar of our values, she is equipping the next food production professionals.

Thumeka M. Production Team

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Logos of Boschendal, Clinton Global Initiative, Hult Prize, and United Nations

Press

  • Group of seven women standing together in front of a large screen that reads "Women in Innovation Awards 2024."

    Kenny Morifi-Winslow achieves women in innovation, Movers & Makers Award 2024

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  • Green apple with farming and sustainability symbols, including a drone, butterfly, and ants, representing eco-friendly farming and environmental conservation.

    Motherbud signs first of it's kind small business supplier contract with woolworths

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  • Five people sitting on a panel at a conference, with a large screen displaying a presentation behind them. The backdrop has the AngloAmerican logo and the words "Impact" and "Network."

    Motherbud joins anglo american impact finance network for capital raise

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  • Award announcement poster for Eat Out Woolworths Financial Services Service Excellence Award, with the recipient named Mertia, and logos for Eat Out, Woolworths, and W Award 2023.

    Mertia & elgr win food and service excellence awards serving motherbud mushrooms

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  • Three magazine covers titled 'NOËN' featuring themes related to intimacy and food, with artwork of a woman with pomegranate, abstract art, and a nude woman in a room.

    Kenny Morifi-Winslow featured in Noen Vol II, on food as community ritual

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