Description
Tchakka Origins is a social enterprise addressing climate change and building sustainable supply chains in specialty natural ingredients, using an agroforestry model and working directly with smallholder farming communities, particularly women in Ethiopia’s biodiverse forests. Tchakka Origins sources, processes, brands, and markets indigenous natural ingredients for the global specialty personal care and wellness industries with products such as essential and fatty oils in cosmetics, herbal teas, and spices used in food preparations, with naturally high-functioning and nutrient-rich compounds.
Market Opportunity/ Problem
On the production side, Tchakka Origins is combatting climate change by introducing conversation-based income generating activities to smallholder farmers with limited economic options to sustain rural livelihoods. Tchakka Origins provides a guaranteed market for smallholders, incentivizing them to grow Non-Timber Forest Products that are more lucrative than deforestation. Tchakka Origins also actively seeks partnerships to provide critical trainings in climate-smart and regenerative agroforestry production systems to ensure climate adaptation and resilience. On the market side, unlike established brands that require rethinking and shifting efforts towards rapidly growing trends in sustainability and traceability, Tchakka Origins’ business model is anchored on transparency, and achieving social and ecological impact from the ecosystem source, all through the supply chain, to the manufacturing process and end consumer brand. This places Tchakka Origins at the innovative forefront of eco-conscious consumers and brands looking for natural and organic products that are good for people and the planet.
Company Information
Years of operation
2
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
Ethiopia
Other country(ies) of operation
How many employees does your business have?
8
Does the business have more than 30% women ownership?
Yes
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$)?
50k – 500k
What is the split between equity and debt?
33.3% equity and 66.7% debt