Honey aggregator, processor, packager and trader sourcing from, and working with smallholder farmers

  Geography

Tanzania (HQ), Sub-Saharan Africa

  Sector

Agroforestry, Agriculture, Restoration, Biodiversity credits

AfriLife is a vertically integrated Tanzanian producer of organic, fair-trade honey. AfriLife sources its honey from about 12,000 smallholder beekeepers. Once purchased, the company processes the honey within HACCP certified facilities, and packages it. AfriLife’s honey enjoys strong client demand and has established a diverse client base – supermarkets 29%, mini-supermarkets 42%, small shops 11%, hotels, restaurants and bakeries 9%, and export companies 9%. To ensure high quality supply and further social impact, AfriLife provides training to 12,000 smallholder suppliers in modern beekeeping technology and promotes the growing of cashewnuts as an additional income stream for beekeepers. In addition to purchasing honey, the company provides beekeepers with credit to purchase modern beehives and tools. This credit is paid back over three years in instalments after successful harvests. With the capital raise, AfriLife is planning to expand its processing and sourcing capacity to continue its historically strong growth to meet the company’s expansion ambitions.

Impact

• Provide alternative, non-extractive livelihood for the local community, reducing deforestation in the Ancestral Kigosi Forest;
• Facilitate of the formation of 40 beekeeper groups (each 25 people) within its existing smallholder farmer supplier base. AfriLife has supported these groups with 8,000 modern beehives and facilitated the planting of 5,000 cashew trees as a source of additional income. The provision of beehives and cashew trees have reduced the cutting of 32,000 trees from the forest, thus enhancing local biodiversity as well as reducing an estimated 125 tons of CO2 from being emitted.