This January, Kuli Kuli had the honor of supporting not one, but TWO, of our African moringa supplier partners. They received the Builder’s of Africa’s Future Award by the African Diaspora Investment Symposium held January 24-25, 2019 in Mountain View, California.
The conference hosted incredible African speakers, entrepreneurs and business leaders from a variety of industries, yet there was no denying that moringa was a common theme. Between the two award winners and three moringa companies present, the room was buzzing with moringa- quite literally, attendees were fueling themselves off Kuli Kuli’s Moringa Energy Bars and Moringa Green Energy Shots!
Moringa, Represent!
For the past four years, the African Diaspora Network has hosted an Investment Symposium (ADIS2019) that gathers over 750 entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, and leaders in Silicon Valley to share successes and find new ways to strengthen the African diaspora’s role in shaping the continent. At this year’s event, Kuli Kuli was particularly excited for the announcement of two of our moringa suppliers gaining recognition for their impressive work developing social enterprises that are creating economic opportunities and supporting sustainable agroforestry in Uganda and Ghana.
We were bursting at the seams with pride and excitement as the African Diaspora Network recognized what we’ve been seeing for awhile in Pamela and Kwami – their ability to change the world! Fittingly, they were awarded as the Builders of Africa’s Future.
The event’s unique cross-section of passionate Africans, Diasporans, and friends of Africa, created powerful connections and a flow of ideas. It was an incredible opportunity to showcase the East and West African champions for moringa that have made Kuli Kuli’s supply chain so impactful.
Pamela Anyoti Peronaci, Asante Mama
Pamela was born in rural Uganda but through plenty of hard work, managed to obtain higher degrees in Europe. Even with her travels, she never forgot her roots. Upon finishing her studies she returned to Uganda because she saw an opportunity to act as a link between farmers and consumers around the world. She was on a mission to lift up her community, which is exactly what she has done through her company, Asanta Mama. Asante Mama employs over 11,000 farmers growing six different crops, including moringa.
Kwami Williams, MoringaConnect
Similar to Pamela, after his studies, Kwami become distraught by the huge disconnect between a land rich in opportunity but no money, and consumers in the western world. He learned about moringa in 2011 on a trip to Ghana with MITD-Lab. With his now co-founder, Emily, they witnessed Ghanaians battling malnutrition even though the moringa tree, the most nutrient dense tree in the world, was growing in their own backyards. With this passion, Kwami left his path to become a rocket scientist and started Moringa Connect instead. Moringa Connect has planted over two million trees, served 3,000 small farming families and increased farmer income by 10x.
*The award winners at the African Diaspora Investment Symposium held January 24-25, 2019 in Mountain View, California.
A Future of Moringa
Africa is a continent rich with languages, unique foods, music, and incredibly talented social entrepreneurs like Pamela and Kwami. Kuli Kuli applauds them both for their work developing successful companies, international supply chains and showing the world just how much Africa has to offer. Kuli Kuli is proud to harness it’s conscientious supply to enable entrepreneurs like Pamela and Kwami to grow their mission-driven businesses and farms to empower areas of the world that are susceptible to the harshest realities of malnourishment, poverty and the early effects of climate change. We envision a future where Africa is overflowing with opportunity, one moringa tree at a time.
To learn more about Kuli Kuli’s impact in Sub-Saharan Africa and around the globe, click here.
