Botanic Treasures is a health and wellness company dealing with the value addition of speciality foods. The production and processing of Moringa oileifera is its primary business activity.
The social enterprise has empowered over 300 smallholder farmers to grow Moringa oleifera, a highly nutritious vegetable plant. In addition, the enterprise produces nutritional supplements and fortified foods that combat malnutrition and degenerative diseases and support food security.
“We officially opened the company in 2012, which we have grown organically, and that has made our entry into the market very slow. The operational cost the company needs to get by is a bit high. From the support we got from Kenya Climate Innovation Centre (KCIC) and now Kenya Climate Ventures (KCV), we will be able to run a market survey that will help us understand the market space,” Elizabeth Mwenda, co-founder of the organization, said.
Mwenda says to stay at the top of the market list; the company needs to maintain a continuous social media presence on the internet. In addition, it will help sell their products to local and global markets.
In addition, she says the company will be organically certified and have the confidence to sell its products on a large scale. “We have been outsourcing the machines, and this financial support will ensure that we have our machines.”
Botanic Treasures exists to foster increased consumption of underutilised Moringa leaf powder as a low-cost, protein and nutrient-dense ingredient for local food and beverages products in Kenya. It has developed Moringa fortified teas, porridge flour and super drinks.
“Having extra operational cost is the best thing for a company, and we can now go out of our way to do the things we thought we could not do because of budget constraints,” Mwenda explained.
The Moringa Tree is known as a miracle tree with numerous health benefits. In addition, it is one of the most versatile Trees and could potentially be a game-changer.
The tree is a good source of calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and riboflavin and has notable amounts of potassium, vitamin A, vitamin E and magnesium. Moringa can strengthen the immune system, promote healthy circulation, support normal glucose levels and have natural anti-ageing benefits. Besides that, it provides anti-inflammatory support, promotes healthy digestion, heightened mental clarity, boosts energy without caffeine and encourages balanced metabolism. To the skin, it promotes softer skin, provides relief from acne, and supports normal hormone levels amongst a wide range of other things.
Botanic treasures accrue their growth to KCV who have proved to be a reliable partner and investor. In the past year, KCV provided the company with capital and business development support making known the miraculous product, moringa.
Moringa is unique because it can be easily grown in tropical and subtropical regions at a low cost, increasing plant usage in various applications. It is also one of the best products to treat malnutrition in children younger than 3-years.
Moringa has the highest affinity to clean the air of greenhouse gases. “If we can have more people growing Moringa, we will have a cleaner planet and good health,” Mwenda stated.
