In the poorest parts of the world, how do we empower people to use their local resources in a manner than provides health and economic benefits to all? When a group of women in Mwanza, Tanzania set up a community kitchen producing probiotic yoghurt, in 2004, their entrepreneurial talent laid the foundation for a program now reaching over 260,000 people each week in east Africa, including people in refugee camps. The development of a sachet containing starter culture Streptococcus thermophilus C106 and either Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 or GG (Yoba 2012), probiotic strains documented by over one thousand published studies, provided the critical technological advance to empower people across the region to make not only probiotic yoghurt but also cereal and fruit juices. Research has shown that the fermentation process not only inhibits pathogens, but also removes highly toxic aflatoxins present in many roadside-sold foods. The microenterprise business model reaches all elements of the value chain providing thousands of jobs for women, men and youth and netting profits for production units, especially when they sell 20-100 litres yoghurt per sachet. Life-changing cases have been documented with some owners employing 20 staff, buying many cows, sending their children to good schools, and moving from mud huts to modern homes. These microbiota-directed foods provide health-promoting, affordable nutrition with the potential to reach millions of people around the world.