Sunday, November 1, 2009

Seed Capital Sought For Baobab Export Start Up




Unlike banks or other financial institutions, angel investors are willing to take a chance and invest smaller amounts of money in high-risk businesses, with the hopes of gaining high returns within a set period of time (usually five to ten years).

These individuals want to see positive change in Africa and are willing to use their own funds to finance projects that they believe will be lucrative or where they can use their talent and skill to mentor new entrepreneurs.

While Africa still has its economic obstacles to overcome - fairly high inflation on fuel and food prices and a high unemployment rate - investors see that the only way to ease these dilemmas is by bringing more business into the country, since investing only stimulates and revitalizes an economy. This is an opportunity to take a commodity in Africa and export to both the U.S. and Europe where there is a high demand.

We are a dynamic African start up  company seeking 100% financing however the risk /investment ratio is very good. We have a full business plan available and details for the interested investor/s.

1) We have a management team in place with a lead operations director with over 15 years in the sales, marketing and management.
2) We are seeking $125,000 to start operations. We would look at giving 25%-35% equity in the business to our angel investor.

We will position itself as a harvester, processor and broker for wild harvested organic baobab. We will specialise in providing intermediate agro-forestry baobab commodities to international manufacturers of finished products.

Our mission is to promote and develop sustainable agro-forestry in The Gambia for the mutual benefit of its people and its biodiversity. Our triple bottom line goal is promoting environmental, social and financial sustainability by providing new employment opportunities for rural communities in The Gambia.

Our eco-friendly processing facility will make full use of alternative and re-new able energy sources for its construction, design and operations. The harvesting period will take place between December and May, during this period the closed fruit will be collected, processed and packaged ready for export.

We will also secure GACP, HACCP, ISO, Organic and Fair Trade certifications to ensure a direct trade channel to international markets. This will enhance the monetary benefits for our rural harvesters in the Gambia and help secure long-term contracts with the harvesters to give the producer a secure basic income. This will be just one aspect that will characterize our fair trade policy.

 We have considered the effects of the world economic slow-down on the healthy foods sector and found those foods that delivered real health prevention benefits at a reasonable price had the best chance of survival.
A recent report by the UK-based Natural Resources Institute estimated that the trade in baobab fruit could be worth up to $1bn (£500m) a year for African producers, employing more than 2.5 million households across the continent.

Future growth in the functional food and drinks market will focus on natural and whole food, and scientific research into the influence of nutrients and specific ingredients on conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, CVD and Alzheimer’s disease.

The most important EU importers of fruit powders are Germany, France and The Netherlands, in recent years, a market has developed for food and beverages products that provide a specific positive impact on health. This market is growing rapidly and has a huge market potential, We will position ourself to tap into this growing market sector with our range baobab products. This is a tremendous opportunity to help move Africa forward and generate income with a large upside potential.

End-User Applications:                                                                                                                                       Functional food, cereal and energy bars, sport and energy drinks, vitamin and mineral supplements, diet supplements, high fiber products, anti-constipation preparations, anti-fever products, chewable tablets, energy strips, coffee, cereal additives, yogurt with symbiotic activities, fruit juice, smoothies, ice creams and shakes, powdered shakes, Soups, herbal tea, infusions, condiments and mixtures, cakes and biscuits.Shower/non-shower cosmetic products  soaps, gels, face masks for instant preparation, face-lift creams, botox extenders, lip and nail care, acne preparations, and stretch mark treatments, body moisturisers, after sun lotions, shampoos, hair conditioners, after shave, emollients, trichological products (presence of ceramids), solid and liquid soaps, toothpaste. powdered air fresheners with antibacterial action.

If you have an interest in taking a look at our project and having an informal chat please contact us for more information at 220-725-3773 or email - baobabharvester@gmail.com