Africa Eats began with a portfolio of two dozen companies, all of which graduated from one of the Fledge accelerator programs, somewhere in the world, all (but one) working to build the food/ag supply chain in Africa.
To that have been added some new companies, all created by the existing entrepreneurs, plus one new joint ventures between two of our companies.
All are founded and managed by homegrown entrepreneurs, with all (but one) working in the country of their birth.
We call these companies “bizi“, as in business. Bizi also like mbizi, Shona for zebra. Bizi as a simple word that we’re pioneering to describe our relationship with these companies that is more than a transnational investment, more than a board member, but not as close as a co-founder.
The bizi vary in size. All were tiny a few years ago. Some are now earning millions in annual revenues, while others will take a few more years to reach that milestone.
LARGEST: $5M-15M+ in annual revenues
East Africa Fruit is the largest fruit and vegetable aggregator in Tanzania, working with thousands of smallholder farmers, selling to thousands of formal and informal retailers. The oldest and largest company in this portfolio. TANZANIA
TRUK Rwanda provides trucking, cold storage, and other logistics services to food/ag companies in Rwanda and across Eastern Africa. RWANDA
OVER $1M+ in annual revenues
Agro Supply sells farm inputs to Ugandan farmers with a unique “investing in agriculture meets lay-a-way” business model, ensuring farmers can afford to plant the next season’s crop. UGANDA
Goldenpot is a one-stop-shop for rural women farmers in Tanzania, selling inputs, aggregating outputs, plus processing and distribution. TANZANIA
Paniel Meat Processing produces sausage and other meat products in Rwanda, aiming to provide affordable protein to everyone in the country and region. RWANDA
Ziweto Enterprise operates wholesale and retail agrovet shops, selling animal medicines and veterinarian services, and is a manufacturer of animal fee, and breeds day-old chicks. MALAWI
Swahili Honey teaches smallholder farmers how to be beekeepers, sells hives, aggregates and distributes honey in Tanzania and into Kenya. TANZANIA
Rogathe Dairy is the largest producer of fortified milk in Tanzania, aggregating from farmers, selling to schools and hospitals. TANZANIA
UNDER $1M IN ANNUAL REVENUES
Agromyx eliminates post-harvest losses by turning fruits, vegetables, and grains into powder, turning perishable foods into shelf stable healthy products. GHANA
Amuria Honey produces honey, beeswax, and bee venom in the Amuria District. UGANDA
Boka Eats manufactures and sells animal feeds for smallholder farmers in the mountainous region of Kisii, Kenya, and manufacturing banana flour too. Run by a group of five women. KENYA
Chicken Basket is a two-stop-shop for poultry farmers in Western Kenya, providing chicks, feed, medicines and a market for their chickens, and a network of poultry butcher shops and restaurants for consumers in and around Kisumu. KENYA
Geossy is rebuilding the fish industry in Uganda through fish farming after the Lake Victoria fishery was decimated. Bootstrapped and profitable, with an opportunity to grow 1,000x in scale. UGANDA
Green Charcoal Uganda turns palm kernel husks, coffee husks and other ag waste into briquettes to replace charcoal and firewood in Uganda. UGANDA
Honey Products Malawi sells beekeeping equipment and aggregates honey from smallholder farmers. Working with 100 farmers. MALAWI
Obamastove is the only at-scale artisanal cookstove manufacturer in the world, profitably built and sold over 400,000 stoves in Ethiopia, with exports into neighboring countries. ETHIOPIA
Papoli Farmers Association is a community company of smallholder farmers collectively growing and distributing turkeys. UGANDA
Tilaa aggregates and sells honey in Northern Ghana and has planted tens of thousands of cashew trees to feed the bees and double revenues. GHANA
Zamgoat buys goats from smallholder farmers, slaughters and sells goat meat and sausages to middle class Zambians in Lusaka. ZAMBIA