Breaking ground: one year later

In May 2023, we came to Ghana for the first time to discuss our concept with the Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture. Their enthusiasm motivated us to get started immediately. After setting up a prototype in August 2023, conducting a production pilot in the first quarter of 2024, and raising funds in April, we began constructing our first commercial production facility this May — exactly one year after our initial visit.

During our production pilot, we found a site that was perfect for our first commercial facility. We worked out the designs, prepared our budget and made sure we had all the necessary permits. After raising the funds in April, we started the actual construction on Monday May 13th. This was a great milestone for our company and since that day, a lot has happened: fencing, establishing an electricity connection, installing a borehole, water pump and filter, building a small office/security post, and setting up the platform for the tubes in which our spirulina will grow. All of this happened in just 3 weeks time, of which we are very proud. We should give all the credits to Emmanuel – our facility manager – since it would have never been possible without him.

The idea is to finish the construction of the first facility by the end of August this year. As we are aiming to start exports in December, this leaves us with two months. We will use these two months for the final optimization of the production facility. In collaboration with our Dutch partner Alga.farm, we will develop spotless hygienic protocols and set up a guidebook to train our local employees. Also, we will start experimenting with our school donation program from August onwards to make our goal of fighting local malnutrition reality.

Until now, it has been an amazing journey. We are grateful for all the local support we are receiving and are looking forward to the coming period!