LIMBUA creates great value by offering top-quality products that have been traded in a socially responsible manner throughout the entire supply chain. Their project was a finalist for the 2023 INC Excellence in Sustainability Award.
LIMBUA is a German-Kenyan social enterprise that trades and processes organic macadamias, dried mango, avocado oil and coffee from Kenyan smallholders. They work closely with more than 7,000 smallholders in the highland at the foot of Mount Kenya.
LIMBUA’s approach is comprehensive: One goal is to improve the standard of living in rural Kenya by bringing the smallholders’ harvest to the international market without middlemen, leaving as much added value as possible in the country. Another goal is to protect nature by preventing land degradation, preserving biodiversity and protecting the climate.
In order to reach these goals, LIMBUA spans the entire supply chain, from the nursery to the export and global distribution of the products. Along the way, they provide supervision and advice to smallholders on their way towards organic certification, purchase crops directly from the farmers, and operate four processing sites.
Nursery
At LIMBUA’s proprietary tree nursery, organically certified macadamia, mango and avocado seedlings are reared and given to farmers through the Fair for Life fund or sold to them for a fair price. To maximize the benefit to smallholders, LIMBUA has developed a particularly high-yielding, high-quality macadamia variety in cooperation with leading scientists and with input from the farmers based on their experience.
Organic Farms
LIMBUA provides smallholders with continuous training in organic farming and helps them achieve organic certification. The smallholders grow a variety of crops on mixed farms, thereby enhancing biodiversity. In addition to the positive impact on nature, mixed farms provide greater security to the farmers, since they do not depend on just one crop.
Macadamia trees, in particular, contribute to healthy ecosystems. Their thick leaves provide shade and thus protect against evaporation. The roots prevent erosion and bind moisture at the surface. Thanks to annual precipitation exceeding 1,000 mm in the region south of Mount Kenya, no artificial irrigation is needed.
Purchase
LIMBUA guarantees the purchase of farmers’ entire annual macadamia harvest of the high-quality species Macadamia integrifolia, paying fair and above-average prices. Calibrated digital scales make counterfeiting impossible. LIMBUA’s digital system makes the purchase process faster, easier and safer, while enabling smallholders to be paid immediately on-site via M-Pesa, a secure mobile payment platform that is commonly used in Kenya. This creates a high degree of transparency and trust.
Production
In order to leave as much added value as possible in Kenya, LIMBUA processes the harvest locally. The four processing sites and the nursery are located in the countryside, close to the farms. This proximity keeps transport routes short and guarantees fresh raw material. LIMBUA uses only the high-quality species M. integrifolia, which has higher oil and lower sugar content than the other common species (M. tetraphylla) and generates a better yield.
At their production facilities, Limbua applies a gentle raw food drying process. Specially designed dryers are powered by energy from macadamia shells. This approach guarantees uniform moisture content and reduces the risk of mold growth.
No part of the macadamia goes to waste. The outer skin stays at the farms to be used as fertilizer. The hard shells are used to heat ovens for the drying process and also to operate a wood gasifier, which generates additional heat and electricity.
In order to ensure the greatest possible transparency, LIMBUA has set up a comprehensive traceability system that spans the entire supply chain, from the farm to the processing site and finally to logistics centers in Europe and the United States. LIMBUA’s customers know exactly where the product comes from, thanks to 100% guaranteed traceability back to the individual smallholder.
Additionally, several certifications underline and secure LIMBUA’s high quality and social responsibility, including: the EU organic seal, IFS Food, BRC Food, USDA Organic (NOP), Bio Suisse, Fair-for-Life, Demeter, Halal and Kosher.
Boosting Livelihoods
LIMBUA employs more than 700 local Kenyans, most of whom are members of the farmers’ families. These workers are integrated into the creation of value and benefit from a demonstrably higher standard of living. Most of the smallholders and employees are women. LIMBUA supports the self-empowerment of women in all positions and therefore also the prosperity of their families. Employee pay far exceeds the minimum wage. Unusually for Africa, employees also receive contributions to their health, nursing and pension insurance. In this way, LIMBUA helps to counteract the rural exodus.
To learn more about the journey of the fair and sustainable macadamia, watch this video: rb.gy/0mw95
LIMBUA smallholder farmer Dorothy Ndwiga with macadamia on tree. Photo courtesy of LIMBUA.
Sorting of macadamia kernels in the LIMBUA facility. Photo courtesy of LIMBUA.
