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January 12 2026 - News
Five years ago, IQI Trusted Petfood Ingredients began its partnership with Wakibi to support small-scale entrepreneurs in developing countries through microloans. A lot has happened since then. What started with an initial investment of €4,000 has grown to a social impact of €39,146 in 2025. We are proudly looking back at all the projects we have supported over the past five years and look forward to continuing our shared impact in the years to come.
It all started in December 2020, when IQI decided to forego its traditional Christmas gifts for one year. Instead, IQI started a social impact fund with Wakibi. This led to a partnership with Wakibi, a Dutch microfinance platform that supports small-scale entrepreneurs in developing countries around the world.
The partnership officially began on January 1, 2021, with the creation of an IQI social impact fund. Through this fund, we support entrepreneurs working on environmentally friendly projects in food and agriculture.
Wakibi has a partnership with the international nonprofit organization Kiva. All projects are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations.
Over the past five years, IQI’s social impact fund has shown how small contributions can create lasting change.
• Every time a loan is repaid with a small amount of interest, the money is reinvested. This grew the fund from €4,000 to a social impact of €39,146 in 2025.
• Since its start, IQI has supported 1,210 entrepreneurs and 242 projects across 30 countries, mainly in agriculture, food production, and retail.
• So far, 199 entrepreneurs have fully repaid their loans. Already 91% of the total amount loaned (€35,444) has been returned.
• To further increase impact, IQI added €3,000 to its social impact fund for the period 2025–2027.
The projects below represent a selection of this year’s supported initiatives, each contributing in its own way to a more sustainable future.
• In Honduras, we supported 75-year-old Vicente, who has been a farmer all his life and grows maize on his land in Choloma, Cortés. The loan enables him to purchase fertilizer and pay for labour to maintain and improve his crops.
• In Madagascar, we supported HERi-GO, a social enterprise that provides clean energy through solar kiosks run by female entrepreneurs in rural villages. The loan enables the company to expand its solar network and give more households access to sustainable power.
• In Paraguay, we supported Mujeres con Esperanza (“Women with Hope”), a group of female entrepreneurs who work together to provide for their families and improve their quality of life. One member of this group is Elizabeth, who uses the loan to buy ingredients for her bakery business.
In the coming years, IQI remains committed to supporting entrepreneurs who are working towards more sustainable food and agriculture systems. As IQI’s CEO, Arjan van Waes, explains: “As a partner of Wakibi, we support local entrepreneurs around the world. This long-term partnership reinforces our belief that even small contributions can help create positive change.”
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