Maarouf Barry

Eleis Farm

🌴Eleis Farm🌴 is a family startup producing, packaging and marketing sustainable palm oil on the north coast of Guinea. Established since 2013, we work closely with small holder farmers in the area, helping them increase their yield while reducing their impact on the environment. Cognizant of the environmental challenges resulting from mangrove wood over exploitation, we founded Sira & Saara, a non-profit funded by our family, private companies and the Global Environment Facility. We coordinated a 16 months' mangrove preservation and climate resilience project. The project comprised 3 strategic axes: reforestation of inland forests and swamps; promotion of sustainable income generating activities; and impacted communities' capacity building. Our project was a success with more than 1,400 beneficiaries, 10 hectares of inland forest protected, 16 cooperatives created, a road built to improve access to local markets for islanders, and the restoration of water source in the village of Conakridy. The next phase of our venture consists of creating a brand to secure market access for our products. We are investing in innovative filtration systems to improve the quality and the shelf life of our oil, in machinery and packaging to tackle logistic challenges, and in marketing to create brand awareness and increase market shares. Eleis provides 10 full-time jobs, more than 30 part-time jobs and generates income for farmers in more than 8 villages. Red palm oil is a staple food in West Africa and a token of our rich history. By investing in palm oil we hope the leverage our farmers know how and restore the pride of our communities. We use the same recipes as our ancestors, with modern tools to reduce the hardship, and world-class management to compete globally. We plan on selling our oil in the USA through AGOA and in neighboring countries.