Greenforest Foods Ltd

Developing a Kenyan value chain for nuts and honey

Kenya

Greenforest Foods Ltd is a company with a strong brand, producing pure natural honey. The company recently added peanuts to its product line and this has been well received by the market. The company now wants to add more higher-value nuts, such as cashew and macadamias, to its portfolio.

The company's honey is sourced from traditional honey-producing areas such as Kitui, Makueni and Taita-Taveta. However, Kenya's supply chain is not fully reliable which means most raw honey actually has to be sourced from neighbouring Tanzania. The peanuts are sourced from Malawi. Greenforest Foods buys from around 800 farmers, who are organized into groups.

Greenforest Foods will use Oikocredit's investment to develop reliable value chains in Eastern Kenya. This will give the company more control over supply and enable it to establish closer relations with local farmers and provide technical assistance.

Greenforest Foods’ first Oikocredit loan will benefit around 800 small-scale honey producers and will create about 25 jobs.

Greenforest Foods has been an Oikocredit partner since 2014.