From an idea to a growing co-operative partnership
Our Malawi Partnership launched on 2 July 2022, the International Day of Co-operatives, with a simple ambition: to show what can happen when co-operatives work together across borders. Led by OurCoop, the Partnership works with co-operatives in Malawi to build stronger trading opportunities, greater resilience and more agency for smallholder farmers and producers. Rather than providing short-term support, the focus is on using co-operative trade to create lasting opportunity.
The Partnership began by connecting products with links to Malawi to OurCoop stores in the UK. Sales helped create a practical way for customers and members to support the development of co-operative trade in Malawi. Working with the Malawi Federation of Co-operatives (MAFECO), the Partnership has been shaped around the priorities of Malawian co-operatives themselves — strengthening skills, markets, infrastructure and opportunities to trade. The aim has always been to build relationships that are locally led and capable of creating long-term change.
Since 2022, the Partnership has grown beyond its original product range. OurCoop and MAFECO have worked with co-operatives across sectors including coffee, tea, rice and macadamia, while helping explore new products and routes to market. The Partnership has also supported the creation and growth of secondary co-operative unions, including the Regional Honey Cooperative Union, officially launched in June 2026. Regular visits between partners help identify challenges, agree priorities and build the relationships needed to make co-operative trade work in practice.
In 2026, Our Malawi Partnership marked its fourth year. The latest visit to Malawi brought together farmers, co-operative leaders, MAFECO, government representatives and international organisations, while opening conversations around new opportunities including honey, macadamia oil and Malawian chocolate. What began as a pilot has become an evolving example of how co-operatives can work internationally to strengthen livelihoods, keep more value within communities and give farmers greater control over their futures.
Our Malawi Partnership continues to develop with the people and co-operatives at its heart. The ambition remains the same: build better trading opportunities, strengthen resilience and demonstrate the difference co-operative trade can make.
