MoneyMart Finance is a micro finance institution (MFI) offering micro-loans to micro-businesses in Zimbabwe.

With funding from AECF, MoneyMart Finance is offering a solar home system (SHS) loan financial product at a lower interest to enable poor households in Zimbabwe to access solar home systems.

ORUWERA Limitada produces, processes and supplies quality certified seed of maize, sorghum, sesame, groundnut, beans, soybean, cowpea and vegetable seeds.

The AECF is working with ORUWERA to scale up the business to ensure more smallholder farmers in Nampula, Niassa and Cabo Delgado provinces in the northern region of Mozambique and Zambézia and Sofala provinces in the central region to access quality seed, at affordable package size and price. 

Multi Seeds Company Limited (MUSECO) is a private Malawian seed company that produces, distributes and markets high-quality basic and certified seed of government bred varieties of groundnuts, soybeans, beans, pigeon peas, cowpeas, orange fleshed maize, rice and sorghum for use by smallholder farmers.

The AECF is supporting MUSECO to buy back seed from contracted out-growers, build warehouses and a seed processing facility, and set up a seed testing laboratory in Lilongwe.

Legacy Crop Improvement Centre (LCIC) is a Ghanaian company that produces and markets quality basic seed of hybrid maize and cowpea and provides consultancy services to stakeholders along the seed value chain.

The AECF is working with LCIC to enhance cultivation of climate resilient, nutritionally enhanced hybrid seed maize and soybean in Ghana to combat food and nutrition insecurity and increase the incomes of smallholder farmers.

Afritec Seeds Ltd is a Kenyan company that develops hybrid rice. The high yielding rice is sold to small-scale farmers in Kenya.

The AECF supported Afritec Seeds with the commercialization of the company allowing the company to ease into the Kenyan market while benefiting smallholder farmers in rice growing areas in Kenya.

Sable Park Enterprises consists of two distinct operational units: a poultry growing section and a poultry abattoir.

The AECF is working with Sable to upgrade its poultry processing plant with more automated in-line processing equipment as well as a spiral freezer. Sable is also increasing the capacity of its growing section to ensure consistent supply to the improved abattoir.

Peak Trading is a Zimbabwean grain trading company that specializes in procurement of rural produce for resale to agro-processors, SMEs, NGOs and the informal sector. The company buys at source from smallholders and operates a network of rural depots.

The AECF is working with Peak Trading to establish mobile grain buying stations in rural Zimbabwe designed to address deficiencies in rural logistics and transport infrastructure in marginal grain producing areas.

B’Ayoba (Pvt) Limited is the first (and to date the only) dedicated baobab production, processing and marketing company in Zimbabwe.

The AECF is working with B’Ayoba to introduce new processing technologies that will dramatically increase productivity, improve quality, reduce costs and lower the price of the final products to the end-consumers.

Ariston Holdings Limited is a Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) listed company that has a division known as Fruit & Vegetable Co-operative (“FAVCO”) which is a marketing body for deciduous fruit growers.

The AECF is working with FAVCO to establish a banana out-grower scheme targeting rural smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe.

IETC Zimbabwe started out as an agri-commodity trading company. The company has since developed a fully integrated supply chain model which grows and processes agri-commodities in Zimbabwe.

The AECF supported IETC to build a soya bean processing plant and set up an out-grower scheme supporting smallholder farmers to produce soya beans to supply the processing plant.

Bulawayo Abattoirs purchases, feedlots, distributes and adds value to livestock and meat products. The company supplies most major retailers and many butcheries in Harare, Bulawayo and the Midlands and supplies by-products to tanneries and feed production factories.

The AECF worked with Bulawayo Abattoirs to commercialize the selling, transport, slaughter and onward marketing and distribution of goats, ensuring better markets for farmers in remote rural areas.

African Century Financial Services, is a UK-based investment company.

The AECF worked with African Century Financial Services to make lease finance available to agriculture and agro-processing businesses in Zimbabwe. This helped farmers’ access vital agricultural equipment and machinery.

Produtrade (Pvt) Limited was established in 1995 as an agri-trading company with a seat on the ZIMACE (Zimbabwe Agricultural Commodities Exchange). Produtrade is the trading section of Progroup holdings;  being both a supplier and off-taker of local and imported commodities from the agro–processing sector.

The AECF worked with Produtrade to establish a network of rural trading posts across maize growing areas of rural Zimbabwe.

Northern Farming (NF) secures and supports a large base of small scale and commercial farmers to grow food crops (maize, soya, wheat sugar bean) and seed crops (maize and soya). NF sells this produce to the domestic market.

The AECF is working with NF to provide production and marketing support to smallholder and commercial farmers at affordable prices for the production of food crops. NF is also providing rural finance component, technical and development support, and inputs on credit (recoverable against produce sales).

Makera Cattle Company breeds pedigree Tuli cattle; the company is one of the leading players in the cattle industry in Zimbabwe.

The AECF is working with Makera Cattle Project to make pedigree bulls available on loan to rural herds with the aim of breeding out inferior genes and in the process increase the quality and quantity of the rural herds. Makera buys back improved animals from farmers and fattens these in their feedlots.

Kencor Management Services produces high quality affordable open pollinated maize seed.

The AECF worked with Kencor to establish “seed clubs” by grouping smallholders into viable units and working closely with them to ensure proper crop husbandry. Through this extension advice and provision of inputs, smallholders have been able to produce high quality, open pollinated, maize seed and become a regular supply base.

KAITE is a Zimbabwe company that undertakes production and processing of high value, certified essential oils, herbs, spices and medicinal plants.

The AECF is supporting to increase its production of organically and Fair Trade certified essential oils, herbs and spices for export together with its out-growers.

Coopers Zimbabwe is a wholly owned Zimbabwe subsidiary of the Ecomed Group of companies that include Ecomark and Ecomed Manufacturing. Coopers are focused on offering affordable quality animal health products.

The AECF is working with Coopers to set up retail stores across Zimbabwe from which Coopers’ Agents will sell animal health products.

Natural Extracts Industries Ltd (NEI) is as a social enterprise that accelerates economic development of smallholder farmers by adding value to their local crops.

The AECF is working with Natural Extracts Industries to reach even more smallholder farmers and women’s groups in Tanzania, working alongside them to produce vanilla, cocoa nibs, turmeric powder and cinnamon powder.

mPedigree Network is a mobile-based brand protection company. It interfaces with manufacturers during packaging by putting special tamper-proof labels on retail packets hence curbing the purchase of counterfeit products.

The AECF is working with mPedigree to reduce the sale of counterfeit or substandard seeds by providing a way of verifying seed packages across Tanzania.

Biobuu (The Recycler) is waste management company in Tanzania. Using collected organic waste, the company breeds an insect native to Tanzania, the Hermetia illucens or black soldier fly (BSF), and harvests larvae for protein to be fed to livestock.

The AECF is working with BioBuu to promote and commercialize the insect-derived protein as a feed supplement for livestock and undertake multiplication of black soldier fly through smallholder poultry farmers.

Equity for Tanzania (EFTA) is a finance company that offers machine leasing to small enterprises. The company focuses on less formal customers or those with limited collateral whose needs are not served by commercial banks.

The AECF is working with EFTA to establish permanent infrastructure and institutional capacity to work with agricultural buyers to expand access to small and rural farmers. This will be achieved through off-taking schemes for equipment which reduce repayment risk.

DSM Corridor Group (DCG) offers full logistics solutions to a wide range of clients. As a cargo handler specialized in non-liquid dry bulk and general cargo, the company is involved in the handling for instance of fertilizer, cereals, sugar, coal and clinker.

The AECF is supporting DCG to be the main logistics and transport hub for all logistical needs for agricultural products in Kisarawe, about 36 km from Dar es Salaam, the economic capital of Tanzania.

Rogimwa Agro Company Ltd is an agricultural inputs company that supplies fertilizers, improved seeds, pesticides, herbicides and other agricultural small equipment. The company also provides agricultural mechanization services, such as tractor and power-tiller services.

The AECF is working with Rogimwa Agro Company to enhance the company’s inputs distribution base, while improving small-scale farmers’ access to financial services.

Olivado EPZ Ltd. (Olivado) is the world’s largest supplier of organic fair trade avocado oil. The company successfully runs a fair-trade organic outgrower scheme of farmers in Kenya.

The AECF is supporting Olivado to add value to avocado in Tanzania by establishing a crude avocado oil production facility that will source its inputs from smallholder farmers in Njombe and Rungwe districts.

Novel Vaccines and Biological Company Ltd (NOVABI) invests in knowledge and innovations to improve the lives of rural poor people. The company is availing livestock vaccines for smallholders targeting Newcastle disease, Fowlpox and Infectious coryza.

The AECF is working with Novel to produce an affordable, safe, easily stored and transported easy-to-use vaccine to improve poultry health and productivity, thus contributing to increased food availability, nutritional security, and the income of small-scale poultry keepers.

Mgolole Agro-Processing Co. Limited is a family owned business that owns a 15 ha cattle farm in Mgolole village in Morogoro Municipality of Tanzania.

The AECF is working with Mgolole Agro-Processing to produce and sell quality heifers to farmers in Morogoro region. The company will achieve this by adopting and using improved breeding methods, utilizing locally available feed resources supplemented with innovative feeding techniques, forming mutually beneficial and sustainable partnerships with financial institutions, smallholder farmers, milk processing companies and other stakeholders along the dairy value chain.

Meru Agro-Tours & Consultants Co. Ltd (MATCC) is a local private company based in Arusha, Tanzania which specializes in the agricultural inputs business. The company markets, distributes and retails agro-seeds, agrochemicals, agricultural equipment, and provides technical advisory services on farm input use and management.

The AECF is working with MATCC to support seed production operations, improve marketing to farmers and development of distribution network in rural and urban areas.

Lima Ltd was the largest cherry and parchment coffee buyer in Tanzania. In 2013 all assets related to the coffee production were sold, except for Elton farm (175 ha) which remains the sole business of the company where a macadamia tree plantation is being established.

The AECF is working with Lima to support farmers financially and logistically to gain access to the macadamia market that is otherwise inaccessible to them.

Kokoa Kamili arose out of an identified gap in the Tanzanian cocoa sector – despite the inherent quality of Tanzanian cocoa, existing buyers were not focused on exporting a high quality bean for use in the premium chocolate sector. The company has a premium cocoa fermentary and drying operation in Morogoro.

The AECF is working with Kokoa Kamili to expand its fermentation and drying processes while increasing local production through smallholder cocoa farmers. This will enable Kokoa Kamili to sell larger volumes of the highest quality Tanzanian cocoa to premium chocolate manufacturers in the United States, Europe, and Asia, while improving incomes for its suppliers.

Grand Apiaries exports niche agricultural products such as honey, African beeswax, and Baobab fruit powder from Tanzania to clients throughout the world. The company’s standing orders from clients in the EU and US have recently expanded to include Baobab leaf powder, Baobab seed oil, Baobab leaf oil and Baobab seed cakes.

The AECF is working with Grand Apiaries to upgrade its equipment and machinery enabling the diversification of its products. The AECF is also helping the company to acquire organic and fair trade certification which would allow it to enter new markets.

Beth Equisolutions Company Limited (BECL) is a private limited company that engages in improved cultivation of horticultural produce such as onions, tomatoes, watermelon, pepper and black peas among others.

The AECF worked with BECL to operationalize its inclusive business model by expanding smallholder horticulture production through use of modern irrigation schemes and post harvest processing innovation.

Aminata Quality Seeds is a Tanzanian seed company that produces, processes and distributes quality seed of improved maize varieties and other minor crops with related extension support to smallholder farmers.

The AECF is working with Aminata Quality Seeds to produce, process and avail quality seeds of its new maize hybrids that are high yielding and drought resistant.

Alpha Seed Company Limited produces, distributes and markets high-quality seed.

The AECF is working with Alpha Seed to deploy modern technology to coat vegetable seeds to enhance seed viability, to boost germination and to colour-code the seeds as a unique way to fight counterfeit seeds.

AKM Glitters Company Limited (AKMG) is a Tanzanian company that trades and promotes
economically viable smallholder chicken farming business in rural Tanzania.

The AECF is working with AKM Glitters to improve and expand its existing operations by setting up a modern poultry farming and processing plant while improving extension services targeting smallholder chicken farmers.

Africasia Seed Company Ltd produces OPV seeds of tomato, cucumber, capsicum, African eggplant, amaranthus, okra, pigeon peas and maize through outgrowers.

The AECF is working with Africasia Seed to accelerate commercialization in new crops and widen its portfolio.

Darsh Industries Limited is a Tanzanian company that runs tomato-processing operations where it produces high quality tomato-based sauces, ketchups, and pastes.

The AECF is working Darsh Industries Limited to provide extension services to farmers. These services will improve the quality and quantity of tomatoes through promotion of good agricultural practices.

NASECO is a leading producer and distributor of improved maize and bean seeds to smallholder farmers in the Great Lakes Region.

The AECF is working with NASECO to expand to new markets, notably the whole of Burundi and selected zones of Eastern DRC. NASECO intends to replicate its unique approach that it has honed in Uganda to these new markets.

Nedoil is a Sierra Leonean company that sustainably produces organic fair-trade palm oil. The company has marketing subsidiaries in the US and the Netherlands.

The AECF is working with Nedoil to introduce the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), boost the organic palm and palm kernel oil production by improving the company’s logistical and milling capacity, establish an out grower network of smallholder farmers, and produce organic fertilizer from the waste generated from milling.

AgroFair trades in organic certified bananas, pineapple, citrus and mango primarily in the European market. The fruits are sourced mainly from Southern American countries, but limited quantities are imported from Senegal, Ghana, Morrocco, South Africa and Ivory Coast.

With funding from AECF, Agrofair is improving its banana production in Senegal through the introduction of sprinkler irrigation systems and organic fertilizers for farmers while improving post-harvest processing and packaging of the bananas to enable entry into better rewarding markets.

Hills Global Projects Limited (HGPL) is a Nigerian agribusiness development and farming company. The company runs a consulting operation, a project implementation business and a small grass cutter farm.

The AECF is supporting Hills Global Projects to scale up its grass-cutter farm, and engage smallholder outgrower farmers in producing sweet potato, which is processed into flour and chips and sold across Nigeria.

Eco Fuels Kenya (EFK) is the world’s first and only croton nut processing company committed to sustainable agribusiness development. The company sources croton megalocarpus nuts from small-scale farmers processing the nuts into croton nut oil, croton seedcake and organic fertilizers.

The AECF is working with Eco Fuels Kenya to diversify its products by introducing organic soap made from croton oil for the local and international market.

Kilifi Moringa Estates processes Moringa seeds to obtain oil, a commodity that is used in the cosmetics and personal care industries. Moringa leaf is utilized as a nutrition supplement and is popular in the health markets.

The AECF supported Kilifi Moringa Estates to contract outgrower farmers in Kilifi County of Kenya connecting the rural poorest to the global supply chain for both Moringa leaf and seed products.

C. Dorman Ltd, was founded in 1950 and continues to be one of the region’s preeminent exporters of coffee. The company supports coffee farmers in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. C. Dorman has replicated its Kenyan coffee milling and export activities in Rwanda by bringing in their expertise and value creation in this new market.

The AECF has supported C. Dorman to become a well-established exporter of certified high quality Arabica coffee from Rwanda while better incorporating women in the coffee value chain in the country.

Mocambique Organicos (MO) produces packs and markets organic horticultural crops (chillies, baby corn, beans and potatoes). The company also purchases fruits (pineapple, mango, tangerines) from smallholder farmers.

The AECF is supporting Mocambique Organicos to establish a fruit (mango, banana, papaya, guava, etc.) and coconut supply chain targeting remote rural areas in Inhambane, Mozambique where local smallholder farmers will be connected to local and international fruit markets.

Josiche General Traders sources and procures grains and raw materials for animal feed in Kenya and beyond, selling them to some of Kenya’s major food and animal feeds processing companies. The company also buys soya beans from farmers in western Kenya, Uganda and Malawi, supplying to its customers in Kenya.

The AECF is working with Josiche General Traders to encourage small-scale farmers to embrace soya bean farming as an alternative to the cultivation of maize and beans.

iShamba™ is a mobile agriculture information service aimed at improving the livelihoods of farmers across Kenya by providing an SMS and call service for smallholder farmers through a subscription model.

The AECF is supporting iShamba to maneuver the fast changing digital environment by trialing a new business model that would see a premium version of the service being provided to smallholder farmers.

Best Tropical Fruits Ltd., is a Kenyan company that processes high quality mango, avocado, banana, pawpaw, citrus, tomatoes and other highly nutritious fruits which are purchased from resource poor smallholders in Central and Eastern Kenya.

The AECF is supporting Best Tropical Fruits to establish a high value mango extension service and associated contract farming within Machakos County with the objective of improving both farmer yields and quality.