When Dr. Wanida Lewis first visited the kitchens of Accra’s emerging food businesses, she didn’t see a shortage of talent. What she noticed was a lack of space — physical, financial, and emotional — for entrepreneurs to grow.
She met women cooking from cramped home kitchens, young people experimenting with recipes late at night because daytime production was too expensive, and founders with creativity and drive but without the support or infrastructure to grow. Again and again, she saw the same pattern: brilliant ideas trapped by structural barriers. And then came the moment that changed everything.
What Sparked Crescendo Foods
Crescendo Foods was sparked by Dr. Wanida Lewis’s experience working for the US Department of State. During a panel discussion for African women in agriculture, she listened as food producers shared a common struggle: none had access to facilities that would allow them to scale up their businesses. Each one expressed that, if they did, everything could be different.
I know I can grow. I just don’t have anywhere to grow into.
This conversation stayed with Dr. Lewis. She had recently completed a three-month assignment in Ghana, and the idea began to take root—if she ever had the opportunity to return, she would build a shared kitchen space to help entrepreneurs overcome the barriers like exhaustion, isolation and a sense of hitting an invisible ceiling.
This gathering of African women and their discussions helped her understand: West Africa didn’t just need more entrepreneurs. It needed a place where entrepreneurs could grow.
Crescendo Foods was born from this understanding — as a promise to give entrepreneurs the space, support, and community they need to thrive.
Building Crescendo Foods: The Struggle Behind the Vision
Building Ghana’s first shared commercial kitchen and food business incubator'Incubator' refers to any organization whose programs primarily focus on vetting and selecting, promising social enterprises, and providing them with a comprehensive range of support services aimed at building and growing them to achieve maximum sustainable impact. wasn’t glamorous. It took grit, persistence, and countless small battles:
- Finding affordable, compliant space in a city where commercial kitchens are scarce
- Convincing funders that food entrepreneurship is a real economic engine
- Building a team while managing limited resources
- Designing programs that met entrepreneurs where they actually were, not where funders assumed they should be
- Carrying the emotional weight of being a founder herself, while supporting other founders
There were moments when the vision felt overwhelming. Moments when the financial model needed rethinking, when staffing was thin, when the work felt lonely.
But whenever an entrepreneur came into the Crescendo kitchen and said, “This is the first time I’ve felt like a real business,” Wanida knew she had to keep moving forward.
What Brought Wanida to Pollinate Impact
By the time Crescendo Foods applied to Pollinate Impact, Wanida wasn’t searching for inspiration. She needed community, clarity, and practical support.
She needed:
- A network of incubator'Incubator' refers to any organization whose programs primarily focus on vetting and selecting, promising social enterprises, and providing them with a comprehensive range of support services aimed at building and growing them to achieve maximum sustainable impact. leaders who understood the emotional and operational realities of this work
- Guidance on strengthening Crescendo’s business model and budget
- Access to funders and partners who believed in ecosystem-building
- A space where she didn’t have to pretend everything was fine
Pollinate Impact offered something rare—a peer community that was honest, generous, and deeply invested in each other’s success.
For Wanida, joining wasn’t just a smart move; it was personal. It gave her space to breathe.
How Pollinate Impact Helped Crescendo Overcome Its Challenges
From the moment Crescendo joined, Wanida showed up — to workshops, donor AMAs, peer sessions, and Office Hours. And the network showed up for her.
Practical wins that changed their trajectory
- Office Hours with AssistAsia helped Crescendo win a grant — a tangible boost at a critical moment.
- Donor AMA sessions demystified funding expectations and opened up new opportunities.
- Peer-powered workshops sharpened their approach to partnerships, finding talent, and programme design.
Emotional and strategic support
Wanida found something she didn’t realise she needed: a space where incubator'Incubator' refers to any organization whose programs primarily focus on vetting and selecting, promising social enterprises, and providing them with a comprehensive range of support services aimed at building and growing them to achieve maximum sustainable impact. leaders speak honestly about the hard parts. She connected with peers navigating similar challenges — lean teams, burnout, financial uncertainty, and the complexity of supporting entrepreneurs who carry their own emotional and economic burdens.
Clarity on Crescendo’s internal growth
Through the check-in process, Crescendo identified key priorities:
- Strengthening internal systems
- Expanding team participation in Pollinate Impact sessions
- Building connections around mental health and entrepreneurship
- Continuing to refine their business model and budget
Pollinate Impact responded with tailored recommendations, ongoing support, and new connections.
A renewed sense of momentum
By the end of their first year, Crescendo Foods wasn’t just surviving. They were moving forward with confidence.
They had:
- New funding
- Stronger internal clarity
- A supportive peer network
- A roadmap for the next phase of growth
Pollinate Impact didn’t remove the challenges — but it made them easier to navigate.
Where Wanida and Crescendo Foods Are Now
Today, Crescendo Foods is a home for food entrepreneurs—a place where ideas grow, founders feel recognised, and community is built through shared struggle and shared joy.
Wanida is at the heart of it all—not as a distant leader, but as someone walking the journey with everyone else. She has faced the challenges, fought for the vision, and found strength in a worldwide community of peers.
Pollinate Impact didn’t just help Crescendo grow.
It helped Wanida remember that she doesn’t have to build alone.
Now, with new clarity and a strong network behind her, she is leading Crescendo Foods into its next chapter—stronger, more connected, and more determined than ever to help food entrepreneurs succeed.
You can learn more about Wanida and Crescendo Foods, by visiting their website or checking out their fun Instagram feed. If you want to learn about how Pollinate Impact can help your incubator'Incubator' refers to any organization whose programs primarily focus on vetting and selecting, promising social enterprises, and providing them with a comprehensive range of support services aimed at building and growing them to achieve maximum sustainable impact., reach out to Sophia Morita at sophia@pollinateimpact.org.
