“In sub-Saharan Africa, economic growth from agriculture is 11 times more effective at reducing extreme poverty than any other sector.”

“Why? Because successful small farms provide jobs and support off-farm activities. Small family farms generate income that is spent in rural communities and stimulates rural economies, which in turn contribute to peace and security and lift families, communities and countries out of poverty.”

Source: IFAD

Africa’s agri-processing industry:
A massive opportunity for impact investors

Grounded Investment Company invests in agri-processing businesses and works alongside them to improve their offering where it’s most needed: whether it’s improving quality, cementing impact or scaling. We support them financially and with our wealth of regenerative agriculture expertise.

We build up businesses with entrepreneurs and share in the growth. Together, we work to meet the growing global demand for regenerative ingredients while building a more equitable and sustainable agricultural system.

With over 50 years of combined experience, we know that success in this sector requires creativity, tenacity, and determination. Our hands-on approach significantly reduces the risk of investing in these businesses.

Fund design

The Grounded Investment Company was designed to enable long-term sustainable impact.

Key features of the fund include:

  • Closed end fund with a 13+1+1 timeline
  • Primarily invests in equity, but can also provide debt to investees
  • Invests in agriprocessing companies for high value crops, such as coffee, spices, nuts
  • Hands-on investor approach, active support to investees using in house expertise
  • Actively supports investees to implement regenerative agriculture in its supply base
  • Majority women in management team and investment team

Full fund documentation is available on request.

Our impact approach

We make farming more profitable for producers and facilitate their transition to regenerative farming systems. We invest in agri-processing companies and work with them to:

  • Ensure they are healthy businesses with the basics in place for growth and impact.
  • Increase quality and margins at the farm and factory levels.
  • Implement systems for full traceability and support premium market access where needed.
  • Provide hands-on support to the farmers that supply to these companies to help them transition to regenerative farming.

Our approach is grounded in deep experience on the continent. Once quality and margins are good, we can do a follow-up investment to scale.

We have published a first Impact Report for Grounded Investment Company. You can access it here.

Join us

We are building a community of investors dedicated to joining us on this journey of catalysing a more equitable and transparent agricultural economy. When you invest with us, your money will go towards things like:

  • A black pepper sorter that helps farmers select only the best pepper from their crops, enabling them to access premium prices.
  • A withering trough essential for producing high-quality tea for international markets.
  • A tea blending, cutting and packing line that allows for secondary processing on the African continent.
  • Motorbikes necessary to access remote farmer-led micro stations and train and support farmers to harvest only the best ripe, red coffee cherries.

We believe that investments like these can begin to shift the farming paradigm and make a real difference in the world. We target decent returns for investors, and because our investments are focused on quality improvement and developing premium markets, the farmers also see clear financial benefits.

Join us.