Africa is blessed with sunshine, unique eco-climates and a natural abundance of “fruits” unseen in the western world. The opportunities are enormous because the global village is always looking to taste new things. There are so many examples of natural products, unknown to most, which have not been commercially exploited. The possibilities are, to say the least, very exciting. The indigenous people and wild animals eat these delicacies but do not have the knowledge or capacity to develop these products to sustain the volume required in a “niche” market. Many of these crops evolved in the specific environment in which they grow. The future lies with those who have the vision and drive to develop these new products. New Zealand is a good example and has lead the way with the chinese gooseberry. They aptly named it “kiwifruit” and China lost the opportunity. Of interest also is the fact that there are large tracts of land which have never seen the likes of herbicides, insecticides or any other chemical. As the world moves away from chemically assisted agriculture to organically grown crops, Africa will become more important as a supplier.

What does all this have to do with marketing?

Nothing really but it may give you an idea of the possibilities and the vast potential which exists. Of importance is that we not only carry out investigations into the traditional markets but are quite prepared to research new types of markets, their sustainability and develop plans to exploit them.