Pioneering stevia export

Stevia Afrika grows the natural sweetener stevia 500 km inland in the highlands of Tanzania. Their farm is in a beautiful agricultural area with rich Great Rift Valley soil and sitting on the original Cape Town to Cairo route, it has a feeling steeped in history and adventure. 

With my deep rooted knowledge of tropical agriculture and logistics, Stevia Afrika asked me to set up their export supply chain. On arrival at the farm, the first challenge became immediately apparent - dried stevia is springy and hard to pack down into a manageable format, the implication being low utilisation of containers. I devised the method to bale, pack and load the stevia for low cost and safe passage to the port at Dar es Salaam.

Much of Dar es Salaam's throughput is metals, such as copper, from Zambian mines and tobacco. I wanted to find a reliable freight agent to partner with us, who understood an agricultural food product like stevia. I vetted over 20 agents and on-boarded the best of them. Being Tanzania's first ever export of stevia, we needed to work together through the exceptionally complicated customs procedures and export documents. Our efforts paid off and the loads were shipped successfully on time. 

The Result?

The CEO James Davidson shared: "Simon came up with a robust strategy and clear recommendations. He has a common touch and slotted in naturally with ease. Showing creativity in finding and coaching a very capable Tanzanian in Dar es Salaam, he also helped us  dispatch the first dried stevia ever to be exported from Tanzania. Proving he could turn strategy into delivery, Simon’s prior experience in Africa clearly showed. Responsive, task focused and determined to drive a task to completion,  I have no hesitation in recommending Simon".