October 3, 2023 - Goodwill is pleased to announce its recent investment in Complete Farmer (CF) - a digital marketplace that brings together African farmers and international buyers to create a stronger, more efficient agricultural value chain in West Africa. Working in collaboration with long-term partner Alitheia Capital, Goodwill invested US$2 million in equity via its uMunthu II fund. The pre-series A round raised a total of US$10.4 million in equity and debt, attracting the participation of industry leaders such as the Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund (ARAF), Proparco, Newton Partners for equity financing; and Sahel Capital, Alpha Mundi Group and Global Social Investments for debt financing.
CF's insights give farmers an advantage from the start, introducing modern farming techniques and data-driven cultivation protocols to improve productivity and reduce post-harvest losses. Through the CF platform, these smallholder and commercial farmers also gain direct access to global buyers, ensuring premium pricing and guaranteed off take of their crops. For example, farmers selling through CF see average net profit margins of 52 percent, compared to 20 percent when selling through middlemen.
At the same time, CF provides international buyers - including some of the world's largest FMCG companies - reliable access to commodities grown to their exact specifications. The CF platform allows them to easily source certified crops and digitally monitor every step of the procurement process, ensuring consistency and superior quality at a fair cost.
Coming from a farming family himself, CEO Desmond Coney has a unique understanding of the challenges of the agricultural section, expanding, "We realised there was demand and needed to determine how to satisfy it. One of the most important insights we gained was that for the majority of the large buyers, such as FMCGs and food processors, there was a specific quality they wanted that most American farmers, who were seeking market access and higher yields, lacked. As farmers, they may know how to cultivate soybeans. However, they wouldn't know how to obtain the specifications that these large buyers desired, such as oil and protein content. So using a data-driven methodology, we developed cultivation protocols that help smallholder farmers farm more efficiently, produce superior commodities and satisfy market demand."
Oluwakemi Olajide, Senior Investment Associate at Altheia Capital is enthusiastic about the company's potential to drive impact with their innovative and sustainable business model, commenting, "Complete Farmer is creating access to global markets for African farmers by leveraging technology and farming protocols to enable farmers to produce crops that meet global market specifications. This in turn improves the yields, incomes and livelihoods of the farmers".
Complete Farmer has already made significant contributions to the industry, bringing together over 8000 farmers, overseeing the cultivation of 31,429 acres of land, and delivering commodities to buyers in Europe, Asia and beyond. The pre-series A funding will directly support Complete Farmer's ambitions to expand their reach. In the near term, the company's top priorities include further developing the capabilities of their digital platform, researching new ways to increase farmers' yields, and expanding operations in Ghana and beyond to better meet increasing demand from buyers.
Alongside geographic expansion and technological innovation, Complete Farmer will also use the funding to forge strategic partnerships with key stakeholders in the agriculture and technology sectors. With extensive experience in West Africa and far beyond, Goodwill and Alitheia Capital look forward to playing an active role in expanding the company's network and supporting their growth and impact ambitions for years to come.
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.
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