How Mahlatse Mamaila Built INO Biodiesel into a Green Energy Vanguard
How Mahlatse Mamaila Built INO Biodiesel into a Green Energy Vanguard. When Mahlatse Mamaila witnessed the devastating impact of a waste oil spill on her rural community’s water source during the pandemic, she did more than feel angry, she felt driven. That moment became the spark for INO Biodiesel, a pioneering green energy company turning waste cooking oil into sustainable diesel. Her vision stretches beyond entrepreneurship, it is about restoring dignity, creating jobs, and fuelling a cleaner future across South Africa.
From Concept to Container
INO Biodiesel is a 100% black-woman-owned business founded on the legacy of Innocentia Mamaila, a bioenergy expert. It started with a simple mission: collect waste cooking oil from local hotels and hospitals and convert it into biodiesel for engines, mining machinery, construction sites, and industrial use.
Mahlatse’s credentials are grounded in continuous learning, she holds a BCom degree in accounting and multiple diplomas, including in alternative fuels, generic management, and international leadership. Her hands-on leadership style combines technical knowledge with community care.
Early Challenges and Groundbreaking Wins
Being a young woman in a male-dominated waste management and energy field came with considerable challenges, from gaining investors’ trust to building infrastructure and convincing clients to adopt biodiesel.
INO Biodiesel answered with impact and innovation. Mahlatse started small, proving her concept with local oil collections and successful pilot supplies. Then, recognition followed. She won the Veza She’s Next 2024 competition, gaining not only visibility but funding to install a workshop in Limpopo focused on women and youth training.
That momentum grew further: she received the UN 2023 Young Entrepreneur Award in Africa for inclusion, and was selected among the UN SDG International Young Leaders for 2025–2027.
Scaling with Purpose and Partnerships
INO Biodiesel’s growth is rooted in intentional scaling. Today, the company runs a production plant capable of producing between 10 000 and 100 000 liters of biodiesel weekly. It supplies fuel to mines, farms, fleets, even airplanes in multiple provinces.
The circular mission extends beyond fuel: 30% of profits are allocated to community trusts in Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and North West, ensuring locations most affected by climate risks benefit directly. Youth training programs offer stipends and skills in green fuel manufacturing and digital waste management.
By collaborating with schools, regional partners in Botswana and Zambia, and mining companies, the brand is building value chains that are local, sustainable, and resilient, a blueprint for success in the green economy.
Core Lessons for Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs
1. Build from urgency, not opportunity alone.
Mahlatse’s fierce response to environmental harm became a business with heart and purpose. Let your mission be born from real need.
2. Start small to prove concept.
INO Biodiesel began with manual collections and pilot batches. That grounded approach created proof of concept and credibility.
3. Transcend business with social investment.
Allocating profits to community trusts creates shared ownership, clients see you not just as a supplier, but a community guardian.
4. Leverage recognition to expand capacity.
Winning strategic awards unlocked both capital and mentorship, use visibility to scale smarter, not just faster.
5. Use training as both marketing and empowerment.
Upskilling local youth doesn’t just increase capacity, it builds brand loyalty and talent pipeline for the future.
6. Embrace regional partnerships for durability.
Expanding into neighbouring countries and industries ensures the business grows with support, not isolation.
A Green Future Fueled by Local Minds
Mahlatse Mamaila’s journey with INO Biodiesel is not just a company story, it is a blueprint for green entrepreneurship rooted in community, ingenuity, and impact. From salvaged cooking oil to biodiesel for engines, from environmental harm to youth empowerment, her steps map a trajectory entrepreneurs of all sectors can follow. If future generations drive on fuel they helped create, live where waste becomes income, and believe they have the power to lead, then she will know her work truly fuels change.
