How Africa Haven is breaking into export market

When it comes to tropical and exotic fruits and vegetables, South America has long been a prominent player in the market. The fresh fruits market in Canada is projected to grow by 5.92 percent (2023-2028) resulting in a market volume of $14.57bn in 2028.

Most of the tropical and exotic fruit and vegetable exports come from South Africa but African Haven, is taking advantage of local knowledge to source from Uganda.

Situated in Kyengera Town along the Kampala-Masaka Highway, African Haven is thriving in the export of fresh produce sourced directly from African producers.

Established in 2019, Africa Haven, led by their founder Suzan Prima Akello, has become a significant player in the global food trade, with a focus on distributing African-grown exotics, particularly to Canada and the United States.
“We currently supply fresh tropical and exotic fruit and vegetables to Canada, the US, Europe, and the Middle East,” says Akello. 

Insatiable demand
The company’s strategic location in Quebec, Canada, positions it as a bridge between African farmers and international markets.

Africa Haven operates through africahaven.com, an online platform for global wholesale trade. Akello emphasises their capacity to significantly increase tropical exports from Africa to key markets as demand continues to rise.
“We currently export fresh fruits and vegetables and dry produce like tropical grains to Canada. Our weekly demand is about 10 tonnes of fresh and dry produce, and there is a potential of over 120 tonnes of fresh monthly to cover the available market,” explains Prima.

The company’s ability to offer tropical fruits year-round is attributed to the varied climates in the partnering African countries. 

“Most of our partnering countries in Africa are blessed with two seasons so most of the tropical fruits and vegetables are available throughout the year,” says Akello.

Africa Haven collaborates with more than 250 smallholder farmers in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, and Malawi. 

Akello emphasises their commitment to quality and safety in production. “Most of the products we deal in are specialty foods, making the price and demand competitive,” she notes. The company also offers powdered spices like moringa leaf, turmeric root, soursop, and guava leaf powder.

BAP catalyst
As members of the Canada Producers Association, Africa Haven gains access to significant markets, but the challenge lies in building the necessary capacity. This is where the Business Accelerator Program (BAP) comes into play.

BAP is a business mentorship program launched in 2022 by the Agribusiness Development Centre (ADC) aimed at enabling at least 350 agribusinesses (40 percent women-led) to become self-sufficient, create new jobs, and link at least 50 percent of these agribusinesses to financing and markets.

Recounting her initial skepticism about training programs, Akello acknowledges the impact of the BAP. 
“I have registered a lot of results. A lot has changed for us here,” she says.

The training covered aspects in administration and management, with a focus on health and safety measures for the export market. 

“We are handling export readiness differently now. Seeing my staff improving on themselves is very important,” notes Akello.

David Okalebo, the Managing Director of Africa Haven, highlights the significant achievements facilitated by the BAP training. 

“We used not to have a safety and safety manual which we have now put in place, and it’s one of the greatest achievements. This is a concept we got through BAP training,” Okalebo says.

The impact of the BAP program extends beyond internal operations, as Okalebo mentions receiving calls from different entities seeking their services. He emphasises the critical role of knowledge in the export market.

“In the export market, if you are ignorant, you will struggle. Your food will rot. The BAP program opens your eyes to the markets and how to approach them,” he says.

Challenge
One of the biggest obstacles to accessing new food markets around the world is the need to comply with technical barriers to trade and phytosanitary conditions set by trade partners. These standards ensure that a plant is ‘clean’ and free from pests and diseases.

One of Africa Haven’s key priorities is to improve food traceability, food safety and comply with the sanitary and phytosanitary requirements in the importing countries.