Advantage Variety Enterprise
Description
Advantage Variety Enterprise Limited (AVE) was incorporated in 2014 to undertake a variety of entrepreneurial projects linked to land investments and the agricultural value chain. The company’s projects are focused on land acquisitions, agricultural value chain development, and property investments.
Market Opportunity/ Problem
Based on research Advantage Variety Enterprise carried out in 2018, Ghana imported US$463.4m worth of ethanol to supplement traditional domestic production between 2015 and 2017. Ghana is the world’s seventh-largest producer of cassava and is number four in Africa, and produces over 16m MT of cassava per annum. Most of the cassava produced is consumed domestically, with an IDH study estimating that below 1% of the cassava produced is used commercially. The largest market opportunity lies with ethanol, where the 2017 volumes imported into Ghana represent 42% of the realistic addressable demand for the domestic market. The demand for regional exports to West African countries provides an additional market opportunity and is only limited by the capacity to produce locally.
Company Information
Years of operation
7
Type of organization
Private company
Stage of the business
Early stage/ Startup
Agribusiness focus
Value addition/ processing
Agriculture value chain(s) focus?
Food crops
Primary country of operation
Ghana
Other country(ies) of operation
N/A
How many employees does your business have?
50
Does the business have more than 30% women ownership?
No
Does the business have more than 30% youth ownership (under 35 years)?
Yes
Financing and expansion overview
How much capital is the company currently fundraising (US$)?
>1m
What is the split between equity and debt?
100% debt with option to convert 30% into equity to augment existing equity and give the investor a 40% stake in the business