Key Takeaways
- • EDFI Management Company (EDFI MC), impact investor Acumen, and a network of angel investors made a €1.8 million equity investment in Vitara Agritech, a Ghanaian agri-tech company.
- • EDFI MC invested through the AgriFI Ghana Country Window, a €10 million vehicle managed by EDFI MC and dedicated to raising production and incomes of smallholder farmers in Ghana.
- • The deal is AgriFI's first direct equity investment in Ghana, per EDFI MC's chief executive Rodrigo Madrazo.
- • Vitara, founded in 2020 and formerly known as Sommalife, connects smallholder shea producers to international manufacturers via its TreeSyt digital platform, which targets traceability in a value chain historically reliant on informal intermediaries.
- • Vitara's main clients are European companies in plant-based oils and fats, and the company targets one million farmers by 2030, according to Acumen.
Summary
EDFI Management Company (EDFI MC), global impact investor Acumen, and a network of angel investors have made a €1.8 million equity investment in Vitara Agritech, a Ghanaian agri-tech company building more traceable and sustainable shea value chains, according to Africa Private Equity News. EDFI MC invested through the AgriFI Ghana Country Window, a €10 million vehicle dedicated to increasing the production and incomes of smallholder farmers in Ghana. AgriFI is managed by EDFI MC.
Founded in 2020 and formerly known as Sommalife, Vitara connects smallholder shea producers to international manufacturers. Its proprietary digital platform, TreeSyt, supports farmer profiling, sourcing, training and tree monitoring, helping bring greater traceability to a value chain that has traditionally relied on informal intermediaries. Vitara's growth is closely tied to Europe, where its main clients include companies specialising in plant-based oils and fats. Shea sourced in Ghana is used principally in cocoa butter equivalents for chocolate and confectionery products.
Rodrigo Madrazo, chief executive officer of EDFI MC, said Vitara combines a commercially strong model with clear benefits for smallholder producers, particularly women, and for the landscapes on which the shea sector depends. He noted that AgriFI's first direct equity investment in Ghana will support a company creating a more transparent, resilient and inclusive shea value chain.
Chris Maranga, Africa director at Acumen, said women who harvest and process Ghana's shea have long been shut out of reliable markets, and that Vitara is opening access to higher, more stable incomes through a rapidly growing network of farmers and community agents. He said the company, which is scaling toward one million farmers by 2030, is demonstrating how technology, transparent markets and climate stewardship can reshape West Africa's agricultural supply chains. Mawuse Gyisun, chief operating officer and co-founder of Vitara, said the backing from AgriFI, Acumen and angel investor SIG will allow Vitara to expand its work with women producers and strengthen the reach of its solutions.
Founded in 2020 and formerly known as Sommalife, Vitara connects smallholder shea producers to international manufacturers. Its proprietary digital platform, TreeSyt, supports farmer profiling, sourcing, training and tree monitoring, helping bring greater traceability to a value chain that has traditionally relied on informal intermediaries. Vitara's growth is closely tied to Europe, where its main clients include companies specialising in plant-based oils and fats. Shea sourced in Ghana is used principally in cocoa butter equivalents for chocolate and confectionery products.
Rodrigo Madrazo, chief executive officer of EDFI MC, said Vitara combines a commercially strong model with clear benefits for smallholder producers, particularly women, and for the landscapes on which the shea sector depends. He noted that AgriFI's first direct equity investment in Ghana will support a company creating a more transparent, resilient and inclusive shea value chain.
Chris Maranga, Africa director at Acumen, said women who harvest and process Ghana's shea have long been shut out of reliable markets, and that Vitara is opening access to higher, more stable incomes through a rapidly growing network of farmers and community agents. He said the company, which is scaling toward one million farmers by 2030, is demonstrating how technology, transparent markets and climate stewardship can reshape West Africa's agricultural supply chains. Mawuse Gyisun, chief operating officer and co-founder of Vitara, said the backing from AgriFI, Acumen and angel investor SIG will allow Vitara to expand its work with women producers and strengthen the reach of its solutions.
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