Kenya Rising: Co-Impact Sourcing

<<35>> We identified Kenya as one part of the world where amazing plants were grown

<<41>> and we identified Kenya as a place where we could

<<45>> really make a difference and get amazing oils.

<<49>> I was recently with a grower in Kenya where they were

<<52>> with the first harvest of their crop and we talked to them and said,

<<56>> “You know, how excited are you?” and they said “You know, in our small land

<<60>> we have grown for years, we have never had a cash profit.

<<64>> A crop where we were actually paid right as it was harvested."

<<68>> So, this is a Bluetooth scale that’s portable and goes out in the field

<<73>> and it links up with the field officer’s mobile phone.

<<76>> They’ll weigh the teatree or the ginger or whatever it is,

<<81>> and it registers immediately on the phone.

<<86>> That transaction is recorded in the farmer’s account and then

<<89>> those funds are transferred to the farmer’s mobile phone.

<<92>> Within 24 four hours?

<<93>> Within 24 hours, yes. We are pushing for instantaneous

<<96>> and we will get there pretty soon, but we are at 24 hours for now.

<<128>> This Geranium was planted and now cuttings are taken

<<132>> and then planted and seedlings will grow from there

<<137>> and the seedlings are then provided to the farmers.

<<143>> I mean, the financial kind of inputs required to plant

<<146>> something like this all up front would be really challenging.

<<149>> So, we have been really lucky to create a revolving credit fund,

<<152>> which allows farmers to buy all of these seedlings on credit.

<<157>> That balance is deducted over the course of a number of different harvests

<<161>> so, they are paying it off over time.

<<162>> Which allows farmers to jump into a project like this,

<<166>> which would otherwise be very difficult to do.

<<196>> We are really focused on building systems that put farmers first

<<200>> and providing them all the support structure that they need to succeed

<<203>> as a smallholder farmer of essential oil crops.

<<206>> We’ve got field officers who spend every day

<<209>> in the field, visiting with farmers, giving them support,

<<212>> offering advice, helping farmers harvest their crops, weighing it on site

<<217>> paying for it in a quick and timely manner and then bringing it here

<<220>> to the distillery where it can be processed and distilled into essential oils.

<<227>> We could work with commercial farmers in developed nations

<<231>> and produce wonderful plants and wonderful oils from these plants,

<<234>> but we wouldn’t be doing as much good in the world,

<<238>> and for us, we are always looking at

<<239>> how can we impact the world in a positive way?

<<243>> And so, we have chosen, primarily, to work through small-scale farmers,

<<248>> wherever we go around the world.

<<253>> If we grow that five times or ten times does that fulfil your dream?