More than 40% of fresh fruits and vegetables produced in Tanzania do not reach consumers—this loss represents a significant drop in farmer incomes and a hit to national food security at a high environmental price. Without formal market linkages, farmers are left scrambling to find buyers for their crops before they spoil. Elia Timotheo saw those challenges firsthand while working at Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture. Inspired, he quit his job to launch East Africa Fruits (EAF) in 2013 to support these farmers and connect them with higher, more stable incomes through market formalization. CSAF regional affiliate AgDevCo provided the first CSAF loan to EAF in 2015 and Global Partnerships, MCE Social Capital, and Rabo Foundation have since added working capital so that the business can pay farmers on time for their crops. AgriFi, a CSAF field building partner, provided asset financing in 2021 to help EAF scale its business with additional machinery, trucks, and collection centers. With this collective financing, along with patient capital from Goodwell Investments and several other equity investors, EAF has been able to grow its revenue by 600% since 2015, bringing nutritious fruits and vegetables directly to urban retailers. EAF now works with a network of nearly 5,000 farmers—a forty-fold increase from 2015—linking them with street vendors, supermarkets, hotels, and restaurants in the capital of Dar es Salaam. The company has invested in cold chain logistics to ensure customers receive high-quality fruit and vegetables that will command premium prices for farmers. EAF is also investing in its long-term prospects, offering tailored training on climate-smart agriculture to its farmer suppliers, boosting crop quality, increasing yields, and building resilience for farmers—and the enterprise—for years to come.
© AgriFi