Dried mangoes
The premium dried mangoes made in Burkina Faso marketed by Burkinature are reaching the European market through partners to whom we have been attached for more than 15 years now. These partners embody the values of organic farming, which we have been committed to since the beginning.
Did you know that?
The production of dried mango is an activity that has made it possible over the years to reduce the quantity of fruit which, because it was not consumed in Burkina or exported, ended up rotting... But this activity has also and above all made it possible to create thousands of seasonal jobs in Burkina in which women are represented at almost 90%. In fact, it is common to see that in the drying units, all the activities that precede and follow the baking of the slices are carried out by women.
Organic and fair trade certifications, yes, but not only!
So far four of our suppliers are hand in hand certified, a programme established by Rapunzel, one of our customers, which guarantees the workers in these units a better salary and the possibility of having some of their community projects financed through an additional bonus. You can find more information about HIH certification at the following link: https://www.rapunzel.de/en/hand-in-hand-fair-trade-program.html
We value the development of the regions we work with and are therefore proud to be able to offer the benefits of a programme like this to our local partners.
The trend over the last few years ...
The ambition we have for this branch is unfortunately contrasted by the difficulties we have faced since 2017/2018. The reasons for this are multiple and difficult to control as they are sometimes beyond our control. Indeed, the increasingly unstable climatic conditions and the increasingly frequent presence of phytosanitary products on the local markets are challenges to the production of quality organic dried mangoes. However, thanks to the experience of our teams and the relationships of trust that we have been able to build over the years with our local partners, we are generally able to find lasting solutions to our problems and are very optimistic about the future.
Towards a lasting solution to our problems
If since the beginning of these activities Burkinature had not wished to own any drying units for the sake of not competing with local suppliers, it is because the founder of the company, Mr Claude Bovey, had worked on the improvement of the attesta dryers (the most common in Burkina) with the CEAS with the aim of giving a real boost to the dried mango sector in Burkina and to the local players. This mission was a success and a new challenge was on the horizon.
The drying units were born and grew, the only problem at the time was the transition to structures (orchards, units) that complied with European organic certification and access to this market.
Since last year the vision of Burkinature Sarl has changed, production activities are essential to maintain the quantities exported but above all the quality of the products on which we believe we still make the difference compared to the competition.
A Burkinature drying unit was built in 2018 and an expansion project is under consideration following the success of the first 2 years of production.
