Successful Biofach trade fair participation

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IMG_2196In February 2018, africrops! exhibited at the organic trade fair “Biofach” in Nuremberg. The Biofach is the word’s leading trade show for organic products, attracting around 3,200 exhibitors and over 50,000 visitors. The fair is a great opportunity for companies to present their products and new innovations to an audience of retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers.

africrops! used this opportunity to showcase their premium “The Essence of Africa” product line and unique business philosophy. In addition to established products, africrops! also introduced their new moringa and baobab tablets. These will shortly be available to customers from “The Essence of Africa”. Thanks to their convenient format, they not only attracted interest from visitors that came to the africrops! booth, but were also one of the highlights at this year’s novelty stand.

Our East Africa Director Dr. Gelase Rugaimukamu flew in from Tanzania to inform clients about our product range.

Our East Africa Director Dr. Gelase Rugaimukamu flew in from Tanzania to inform clients about our product range.

This year already marked the fifth time that africrops! exhibited at the Biofach. The fair serves as a platform to introduce africrops! products to potential customers, develop business partnerships and to meet new project partners. The visitor numbers at the africrops! booth clearly show that the demand for certified organic plant products from Africa is increasing and that the premium quality “The Essence of Africa” products are highly appreciated by clients.

Not only the quality of the products but also our philosophy of fair trade on eye level with our African partners is an important argument for many customers. More and more companies are realizing the importance of sustainable and fair sourcing practices and are increasingly relying on suppliers such as africrops!.

Successful organic certification in Namibia

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Just before harvest, dust is removed from the leaves

Just before harvest, dust is removed from the leaves

In November 2017, africrops! Managing Director, Dr. Andreas Wesselmann travelled to Namibia to accompany our Namibian partner Komeho during the organic certification of their moringa fields. The focus of the inspection was to verify compliance of important processes and to ensure ecological compatibility and a high product quality. All requirements were successfully fulfilled and organic certification was awarded.

Receiving organic certification is an important step for local producers that want to access international markets, such as the EU. The growing demand for certified organic products allows the producers to negotiate better prices and realize higher profits.

Workers preaparing the drying process of the moringa leaves

Workers preaparing the drying process of the moringa leaves

The cultivated areas are located in northern Namibia, where the local San community grows the moringa plants. The San are an indigenous community that has historically been largely excluded from the national economy. As a result, unemployment is relatively high. The cultivation of moringa now offers the community a good opportunity to earn a stable income in an ecologically sustainable manner. But not only the newly created jobs benefit the community: As part of the project, a vocational education system that is adapted to organic farming will be developed.

africrops! Managing Director, Dr. Heinrich Heinrichs will travel to Namibia later this year to help support the development of the curriculum together with the Namibia Training Authority (NTA). Successful implementation will help support training on the moringa farms, but also promote organic farming standards and practices beyond this.

africrops! encourages young Africans to become entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector

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Dr. Wesselmann discussing opportunities in Kenya's agrbusiness sector

Dr. Wesselmann discussing opportunities in Kenya’s agribusiness sector

In many African countries, especially among younger generations, employment in the agricultural sector is often considered undesirable. The prevalent perception is that running a farm holds little promise in terms of generating a successful and profitable business. africrops! wants to change this and is committed to promoting the agricultural sector as a reliable source of income and encourages young people to employ their entrepreneurial spirit in farming.

Towards the end of 2017, africrops!’ Managing Director, Dr. Andreas Wesselmann, travelled to East Africa to lecture at various entrepreneurship conferences and highlight the vast potential within the agricultural sector. In a talk on “Entrepreneurship in Agriculture” at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya, Dr. Wesselmann demonstrated how the cultivation of high-quality agricultural products can be a profitable business. With a rising number of health-conscious individuals, in particular in North America and Europe, the demand for organically certified products is steadily growing.

Dr. Wesselmann during his lecture Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

Dr. Wesselmann during his lecture Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

At the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, Dr. Wesselmann participated in the “Global Entrepreneurship Day” which was attended by young entrepreneurs from all over the country. In large parts of Ethiopia, climatic and environmental conditions are well suited to agribusiness and offer great potential for young entrepreneurs. Not only in terms of the cultivation of high-quality agricultural products, but also the processing, transport and storage of these crops.

In the near future, africrops! plans to add Ethiopia and Kenya to the countries where it sources its products from and is seeking young, reliable and innovative partners to realize this.