A loan helped increase moringa production, increasing the incomes of smallholder farmers in Ghana.


Moringa Connect's story

Problem
There are 1.5 billion acres of fertile, uncultivated land in Africa and 175 million smallholder farmers living on that land earning less than $2 per day growing subsistence crops. Moringa is a drought resistant, quick-to-grow, and easy-to-cultivate tree, rich in nutrients and in high demand in the food and beauty space. Aid organizations planted moringa across West Africa for its nutritional benefits: the leaves of the tree contain more iron than spinach, more calcium than milk, and more protein than yogurt. Farmers were not growing moringa beyond the household scale because there was no access to market for their moringa produce.

Solution
MoringaConnect built the first vertically integrated supply chain for moringa oil through their natural skincare brand True Moringa and moringa powder through their brand Minga Foods. They provide farmers tools and training, buy their moringa produce at a fair price, and process in-country to create 90 local jobs along the supply chain. MoringaConnect has provided more than $500,000 in income to 3000 farmers and planted 800,000 trees. A video on their work is here

Loan Use
MoringaConnect will use this loan to finance irrigation equipment and leaf dehydration equipment to supply moringa to partner brands retailed in Whole Foods and Kroger nationwide.


This loan is special because:

it helps smallholder farmers in rural Ghana increase their incomes by providing an access to market.



Loan details


Lenders and lending teams




Loan details