1.2: Key services

The key services include: Working with researchers for sourcing cassava quality seeds tolerant to drought, resistant to local diseases, high yielding and responding well to organic fertilizers); Supporting smallholder farmers with cassava quality seeds, cashew quality seeds and organic fertilizers. They are encouraged to inter crop cassava quality seed farms with cashew trees or grow cashew trees as standalone trees, woodlots or plantations.

They are trained on Good Agronomic Practices (GAPs) in Cassava quality seed farming and Cashew quality seed farming. Also, they are trained on sustainable agriculture and agriculture circular economy.

Training topics include: Application of Agriculture Circular Economy in forest restoration value chain and cassava value chain; Recycling cassava and cashew tree products to improve soil fertility and increase biodiversity; Intercropping cassava quality seeds with Cashews, correct spacing, erosion control, cassava farmland soil fertility improvement, crop harvesting, storage and processing.  Cashew tree planting; Cashew tree after-planting care and maintenance. Trained smallholder farmers are applying the acquired skills through recycling cassava and native tree products (leaves and stems), using and re-using them as organic residues/fertilizers to improve soil health in cassava farmlands. They are fostering sustainable cassava farm land use through application of ridges, soil erosion control, and cow manure and intercropping cassava with cashew trees and leguminous crops. Cashew trees are drought tolerant and have contributed significantly to mitigation of climate change risks through reducing CO2/GHG emissions in the area. In-addition, the trees prevent loss of biodiversity, land degradation, soil erosion and soil nutrient depletion and improve soil fertility. They support agroforestry and bee keeping, give shelter and shade to farmers and animals.

Furthermore, they are linked to local markets and financial services.

EGGFE ensures a consistent supply of High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) to target customs in Tanzania. We have an ambition to scale our products and services in all East African Countries, Europe and USA.

1.3: Value proposition

Our value proposition is characterised by:

• Selling High Quality Cassava Flour produced under highly hygienic conditions.
• Selling cassava flour at an affordable price (USD 0.65/Kg).
• Preventing post-harvest losses of cassava through processing cassava to add value to it.
• Good branding and packaging of our product.
• Long shelf life of our cassava flour (9-12 months) since it is produced from cassava quality seeds.
• Ensuring consistent supply of High Quality cassava flour to target customers.
•  Sourcing cassava from trained farmers, processing and selling high-quality cassava flour produced under highly hygienic conditions. We reduce post-harvest loss by adding value to cassava through ensuring that all cassava grown by our smalholder farmers is purchased and converted into high-quality cassava flour. Over the next 5 years, we envisage to cut down cassava post-harvest loss by 90%.

• [Key note: 95% of 350 customers discovery survey (May 2022) provided feedback that they will continue using our product because of its good quality, good taste, packaging, affordable price and long shelf life (9-12 months)].

• We work with smallholder farmers to inculcate the sense that no part of the cassava should go bad, as the whole plant can be used for some productive use as described here under:

• Cassava root is gluten-free and particularly rich in vitamin C, an important vitamin that acts as an antioxidant, supports collagen production and enhances body immunity among other nutritional benefits. Also, cassava root is high in vital minerals such as Copper and Zink, which are extremely important in human bone health. In addition, cassava leaves used as food delicacy (Known as Kisamvu in Tanzania) are rich in proteins and vital vitamins such as A and B. Also, cassava leaves are used for the commercial production of livestock feed. Cassava flour serves for food, medicine and has several industrial uses. Food uses include: Making pottage, porridge, bread, biscuits, burns, and cakes. Medicinal uses include: Stabilizing blood pressure and blood sugar/Diabetes; Refreshment for tiredness; Rehydration to people with diarrhea, sepsis and vomiting, labor to women when giving birth; Industrial uses include: Making starch, adhesives/glue/gum, alcohol, ethanol, biofuels, tyres, and sweetener. Also, cassava stems are used for firewood.

1.4: Business Description

1.4.1: Type of Business:

The cassava flour selling business is for-profit looking for investment fund from investors in the form of grants or business loan. The enterprise seeks to engage in the production of High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) for domestic use and export purposes. Key customers include: The supermarkets, mini-supermarkets, small shops, hotel, restaurants and households.

1.4.2: Location of Business:

The business office is located in Kahama town, Shinyanga Region, Tanzania.

1.4.3: Access to Utilities and Other Facilities:

We have access to reliable electricity. Also, there is a good network of roads connecting the raw cassava producing area and the company premises in Kahama town.

1. 4.4: Suppliers

Suppliers are trained smallholder cassava farmers  located in Tanzania Districts and regions where cassava farming has been a tradition for many generations. The company sources raw cassava from trained cassava smallholder farmers. Key partnerships include: Agricultural Research Institutes who supply cassava Declared Quality Seeds (QDS).

1.4.5: Customers (Current and potential)

The current number of paying customers stands at 1,900 (1,080 males; 820 females). In the next 36 months, we plan to serve over 10,000 customers. These customers are found in all regions of Tanzania, especially Tanzania’s urban areas. 95% of 350 customers survey (May 2022) provided feedback that have interest in our product and that they will continue using our product because of its good quality, good taste, packaging, affordable price and long shelf life (9-12 months). Between year 2024 and 2025 we estimate to spend between 2% and 5% of our sales revenue on marketing our product through social media to be able to reach 10,000 customers by 2025.

Through 1,800 buying customers in  year 2021 we invested $ 91,000 to produce 299 tons of cassava flour and generated revenue of $130,000. In  year 2022 we invested $ 130,000 to produce 300 tons of cassava flour and generated revenue of $156,520.

Our reliable customers are found in all regions in Tanzania. Our target market mainly include:  Supermarkets, mini-supermarkets, smaller shops, hotels, and restaurants.  Credit payment terms for Supermarkets (30 days); Min super-markets (20 days); Small shops (20 days); Hotels (10 days), and Restaurants (10 days).  Contribution by revenue streams is Supermarkets (10%); Min super-markets (10%); Small shops (20%); Hotels (30%), and Restaurants (30 %).  In addition, the company plans to export cassava flour to its neighboring countries (Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan) and believes that in the near future might sell cassava flour to global markets in China, Vietnam, Taiwan, North America, Asia Pacific, and European, where cassava flour is in high demand.