Business Overview
To prevent crop production from going bad before sale, the community of Ekumfi Ekotsi started a gari and corn processing mill in May 2011.
Gari & Corn Processing Mill - Ekumfi Ekotsi, Ghana
Economic Challenge
Farmers in the community realized that grains they produce were going bad and they didn’t have the necessary resources to store it or go into the market to sell it often enough. By the production of the Gari, they could profit from the crop without any immediate pressure to reach the market as Gari lasts up to three months without going rancid.
Business Solution
The Business
In May 2011, Global Brigades worked with the community of Ekumfi Ekotsi to develop their business. What started out as a purely Gari processing plant, perpetuated into a corm mill as well as there was a demand for that within the community. An executive committee comprised of committed community members runs the mill with people in specific positions to overlook operational, financial and marketing tasks. After paying the loan back in full to the Community Development Fund before its due date, the mill now makes enough to save and to reward the shareholders. The business refinanced with the help of the CDF and purchased a corn mill as well. Business has been pretty good and now people from outside also now come to use this mill.
Next Steps
Page Last Updated:October 23, 2017