Entrepreneurship Zone: 10 December 2024: Zambia: Superfood business tapping into health trend in Africa and abroad

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Entrepreneurship Zone: 10 December 2024:  Zambia: Superfood business
tapping into health trend in Africa and abroad

 


 

 


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Moringa Initiative grows moringa on a farm outside Lusaka, Zambia.

 

Moringa Initiative, founded in 2013 in Zambia by Evan and Bernice Kilburn,
has established itself as a substantial international bulk supplier of dried
moringa leaves as well as branded products that contain the nutritious
superfood. The company grows moringa on the family farm outside of Lusaka
and processes the dried leaves into seed oil, tea, powder and capsules. In
2018, Moringa Initiative opened a branch in Durban, South Africa, headed by
the Kilburn’s daughter Natasha and her husband Lloyd Abernethy. Jaco Maritz
speaks to him about their growth path, different sales channels and the
trends linked to health and superfoods that are boosting revenue.


Venturing into a new crop


The Kilburns had been successfully farming in Zambia with various crops
when moringa was mentioned in a casual conversation back in 2012. The couple
did some research and, wowed by the nutritional benefits of the superfood
and motivated by their business dream of venturing into agri-processing,
employed various smallholder farmers to cultivate the crop on some of the
available land on their farm. They also registered a new business, Moringa
Initiative.

The Zambian climate lends itself to the growing of moringa, a hardy crop
that prefers somewhat hot and dry conditions. It was possible to go from
planting to finished product in just over a year. 

During those 12 months, Moringa Initiative built drying and processing
units. For the farmers it employs, the company provided housing, a creche
and a clinic on its property.


Dry with care


Abernethy says moringa requires a rigorous drying process to ensure a
quality end-product.

“It is a finicky crop in terms of the bacteria, yeast and mould that can be
found within the leaf,” he explains. “However, if harvested and dried
correctly, you can rid yourself of those complications.”

The company could tap into Evan Kilburn’s experience as a tobacco farmer –
where the crop has to undergo a similar process – when it built its custom
drying unit. “After harvest, the moringa is dried at a specific temperature
for a precise time to get the nutrients at a perfect level. This controls
the humidity and the moisture within the leaves.”

The dried leaves then go through various processes, depending on the final
product, before it is packaged and distributed.

Advertisement

The company’s moringa capsules are popular in South Africa.


Explain the product first, then convince to buy


Today, the nutritional benefits of moringa are quite well known, but when
Moringa Initiative had its first products ready for sale it was a different
story. Abernethy says part of their marketing drive is still aimed at
educating the buyers of its health qualities.

“Moringa is a niche item; in the beginning, it was difficult to convince
retail buyers to stock it. We did have the benefit of novelty because it was
so unique and brand new; it at least piqued interest and we had some early
successes.”

Slowly but surely, the branded products made it onto the shelves of health
stores and pharmacies, and eventually large retailers as well. Today,
Moringa Initiative can be found in Spar and Pick n Pay in Zambia and South
Africa, with additional listings in Shoprite and Choppies in Zambia.

In terms of the most popular items, Abernethy explains it is very dependent
on the geographic location. “In Zambia, our range of teas is the most
popular: the lemon and ginger, apple and cinnamon, pure moringa and lemon
grass,” he says. “In South Africa, the capsules sell really well and when it
comes to the health stores, our 100g bags of pure moringa powder are
popular.”


Wholesale as a game changer


Although Moringa Initiative’s main objective was always the creation of a
retail brand, it has found significant traction in the wholesale market,
which now accounts for the bulk of its revenue.

“Putting a product into retail does come with significant costs: packaging,
distribution, advertising and marketing. It helped once we shifted to
wholesale where these costs are lower and the income could supplement spend
on the retail end,” says Abernethy.

Over time, the company realised its core strength lay in its primary
agriculture production capabilities and that wholesale supply is a viable
and sustainable income stream. “The Zambian and South African markets are
only so big. We’ve now established good partnerships for wholesale in the US
and EU.”

The company sells to moringa brands that buy the leaves and then process
and package under their own label. Food and beverage development companies
and pet food manufactures also procure wholesale from Moringa Initiative.



Moringa Initiative produces a range of moringa-based teas.


E-commerce post-Covid-19


Moringa Initiative has its own e-commerce website and, in South Africa, it
is also available on Takealot.com. While it placed its product on this
digital marketplace from when it started selling in the country, the
pandemic lockdowns really pushed online sales.

“It picked up immensely and hasn’t slowed at all,” Abernethy reveals.
“Brick and mortar stores still bring in 60% of our retail sales, but online
has already picked up to 40%. This growth surprised us, to be honest, we
didn’t realise there was so much scope for growth and sales on an online
platform in South Africa.”


Riding the health and superfood wave


Moringa Initiative wants a share of the growth the superfoods industry is
experiencing and is even considering expanding to other crops.

“At the moment, we have put all of our eggs in one basket, but we have been
testing some of the others, like chia – which we have planted on the farm –
and stevia. We don’t want to jump into anything else too soon. We want to
make sure we’ve established our moringa products first.”

Another trend that benefits the company is that modern consumers are
actively looking for the backstory of the product and the brand. “When they
are drinking moringa tea, they are interested in where it was grown and
harvested and what the journey from sowing to shelf looked like. We aspire
to being seen as a clean-label product: organic, GMO-free, no pesticides, no
chemicals,” Abernethy says.

Moringa Initiative will be receiving its organic certification soon, a move
that resulted from a trade fair in the US, which the team attended in 2019
in search of export markets for its branded goods. “The main takeaway was
that no one in the EU or US was interested unless our product was
organically certified. Getting this in place will really help us,” he adds.

·          —Howwemadeitinafrica

 

 


 


 


 

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