Profile : AGBOHESSOU Mariette

The business project is entitled “Baobab fresh leaves production and processing into leaf powder and fruity tea via a semi-industrialized technology for marketing”. Our enterprise named BAO LEAVES envisions being in the next ten years, the first producer-supplier of baobab leaf powder and fruity tea in Africa. The main objective of this business is to contribute to achieve food and nutritional security in Benin and Africa but also to help in reduction of pressure on the species in its natural stands. Especially, the project aims to produce fresh baobab leaves using a market gardening technique, process these leaves into leaf powder and fruity tea via a semi-industrialized technology and make the labeled products available and accessible on local as well as international markets. To achieve this goal, our mission is to work hard daily, produce biological baobab leaves and to process the leaves into powder, fruity tea in order to make them available and accessible to both local and international communities while we care the nutritional security. Baobab leaves are rich in iron, calcium provitamin A, zinc among others. There are used to make sauce, infusion, as anti-age, anti diarrhoe, to treat anemia, asthma as well as for cosmetic purposes (skin and hairs). Baobab leaf powder constitutes a raw material of certain cosmetic companies. Regarding leaves production, we use a market gardening technique. We first purchase baobab seeds from different local communities, especially from women. Then, seeds are pre-treated with boiling water to break dormancy at germination stage and sown on plots enriched with manure such as cow dug in order to increase foliar biomass. Seedlings are treated against pests’ insects using extracts of neem plant (Azadirachta indica) if needed. The processing is carried out at our transformation unit respecting healthy standards. Baobab leaf powder is then packed in different quantities’ packages (1 kg, 500g, 200g and 50g) and tea (20 tea bags in a package of 200g) for sale. The tea will is sold at USD 2.80 (200g) and the leaf powder at 0.54 USD (50g);USD 1.87 (200g); USD 4.67 (500g); USD 7.47 (1Kg). Our main clients are households, restaurants, supermarkets, boarding schools, hospitals, orphanages and the international market, which is a potential client. In order to retain our customers, services after sale will be offered. Customers are free to pay cash (cash money) or via any money transfer structure (Bank, Mobile Money, etc.). Reduction rates will be also made on the products starting by a given quantity. Our advertising channels in marketing strategy are essentially based on social media (Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram) but also participation in various exhibitions.

Founder: Ets BAO LEAVES
Location: Benin
Sector: Agriculture
Stage: Start Up Stage
Website: https://baoleaaves.wixsite.com/baoleaves
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