The Markets Readiness Technical Assistance Facility (MRTA) is supporting restorative agribusinesses to commercially scale as part of the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100), a country-led effort to bring 100 million hectares of deforested and degraded landscapes across Africa into restoration by 2030.
In partnership with the World Resources Institute and Bezos Earth Fund.
WHAT WE DO
Agribusinesses that produce sustainable commodities offer the potential to restore nature and landscapes, fight climate change, and create jobs. But many agribusinesses in Sub Saharan Africa face barriers that prevent them from scaling up, including market access and resources for fundraising.
Through the MRTA Facility, we provide no-cost technical assistance to small and medium-sized agribusinesses in Africa that are producing high-quality, sustainable commodities, in regenerative, agroforestry systems that help to restore landscapes, including cocoa, coffee, fruits (especially avocado and mango), nuts (especially macadamia), and gum arabic (a natural tree fibre that is used in foods).
Currently, we are working in 3 landscapes in Africa, that are critical for carbon, biodiversity, and human wellbeing: Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, Ghana’s Cocoa Belt, and the Rusizi Basin and Lake Kivu region which spans across Burundi, Rwanda, and the DRC.
MRTA’s OFFERINGS TO AGRIBUSINESSES:
Off-taker matchmaking:
Supporting agribusinesses and mission-aligned off-takers and sustainable commodity buyers to build mutually beneficial and long-lasting relationships. Examples of support provided include conducting market analysis, attending trade fairs, supporting SMEs with commercial documents and generally providing support to ensure alignment and mutual benefit.
Business advisory support:
Supporting agribusinesses to accelerate growth and unlock their potential by providing tailored support in areas such as financial modelling, business plan development, and strategic planning.
Investor matchmaking:
Supporting agribusinesses in securing capital/finance by working with mission-aligned investors to identify and accelerate partnership opportunities. This includes facilitating investor engagement, preparing finance applications, building pitch decks and financial models, and organizing pitch events.
MRTA’s VALUE-ADD FOR OFF-TAKERS AND INVESTORS:
Tripartite agreements:
A critical way that MRTA de-risks projects is by facilitating agreements between off-takers, investors, and suppliers, where guaranteed off-take deals for regenerative commodities serve as collateral to secure financing. This creates a win-win-win: investors access potential investments with a reduced risk profile and repayment is ensured by dealing with reliable buyers; off-takers secure more high-quality supply with confidence that it will be delivered; and suppliers increase their sales and revenue.
Streamlined supplier relations:
Prepares suppliers for sourcing and financing discussions (e.g., by developing needed documentation), improving efficiency and outcomes.
Impact-focused portfolio:
Sourced from Regeneration’s network as well as TerraFund’s (an implementing partner of AFR100), MRTA’s suppliers use sustainable farming models that restore landscapes and improve smallholder livelihoods, helping off-takers meet sustainability goals and providing investors with impactful pipeline.
De-risking support:
MRTA offers business advisory services, helping suppliers to meet sourcing or investment criteria, reducing risks for all parties. For example, in some cases, MRTA has supported suppliers to venture into value-add products, diversifying revenue streams and increasing margins, thereby reducing risk for investors. In other cases, MRTA has supported the certification process for suppliers, helping to meet buyer requirements.
MRTA RESOURCES
WHO WE ARE:
We are a team that brings together strategic, operational, technical and local expertise to effectively support agribusinesses to scale.
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Carrie Woo
Project Director
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Feker Tadesse
Team Lead
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Aziz Ahmed
Deputy Team Lead
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Jessica Angkasa
Chief Commercial Officer
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Katy Brennan
Commercial Manager
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Sabina Gordon
Senior Commercial Associate
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Maurice Njoroge
East Africa Portfolio Manager
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Monica Kinyua
Business Associate - Kenya’s Great Rift Valley
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Prince Harindintwari
Business Associate - Rusizi Basin and Lake Kivu
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Michael Sasu
Business Associate - Ghana’s Cocoa Belt
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Kidist Darsema
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Senior Associate
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Lorence Gratrix
Project Manager
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Jared Mabeya
Finance and Operations Officer
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Henry Gilks
Business Intelligence Manager
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Aldieno Pribadi
Business Intelligence Associate
WHERE YOU CAN FIND US:
MRTA is excited to attend several trade fairs and investor conferences in 2025, to expand its network and learn more about the value-chains in our portfolio:
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🍫: CHOCOA finance course, trade fair and conference
📅: 4th –7th February, Amsterdam, NL
👨💼: Katy Brennan, Michael Sasu, Sabina Gordon
Chocoa is the leading marketplace for high-quality, sustainable cocoa and chocolate.
MRTA will have a booth at the trade fair, exhibiting on behalf of its six suppliers, so do drop by to find out more!
MRTA will also be attending the conference and speaking at the finance course for entrepreneurs, where Katy will be sharing her learnings on mobilizing capital for agribusinesses.
If you’re interested in finding out more about our programme or being connected to our high-impact suppliers, please reach out!
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🌱: Biofach Trade Fair
📅: 11th – 14th February, Nuremberg, GER
👨💼: Katy Brennan, Jessica Angkasa, Maurice Njoroge
Biofach is the largest organic food and natural cosmetics trade fair, based in Nuremberg.
MRTA will be attending the trade fair to meet organic buyers and find out more about the organic market potential in Europe.
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🥜: MEWA India Trade Fair
📅: 11th – 14th February, Mumbai, IND
👨💼: Sabina Gordon, Monica Kinyua
MEWA is India’s foremost B2B exhibition for nuts and dried fruits, run by the Nuts and Dry Fruits Council in India.
MRTA will be attending to meet new nuts / dried fruits buyers, and better understand the demand for these products in India and other Asian countries.
Please reach out if you want to find out more about our portfolio or discuss our programme!
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💰: Sankalp Forum
📅: 25th – 26th February, Nairobi, KEN
👨💼: Katy Brennan, Maurice Njoroge
The Sankalp Forum has a 15-year legacy of supporting entrepreneurs.
MRTA will be attending Sankalp to catch-up with its network of regional investors and source new interested partners.
Please reach out if you are interested in scheduling a meeting!
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☕: African Fine Coffee Association Conference
📅: 26th – 28th February, Dar es Salaam, TZ
👨💼: Katy Brennan, Maurice Njoroge, Prince Harindintwari
The AFCA is Africa’s largest coffee trade platform, bringing together over 2,000 regional and international coffee professionals.
MRTA is attending AFCA to find new off-takers for its portfolio of specialty coffee suppliers in the Rusizi Basin and Lake Kivu region.
Please reach out if you are interested in learning more about our portfolio of high-quality coffee suppliers!
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☕: Specialty Coffee Expo
📅: 25th - 27th April, Houston, Texas, USA
👨💼: Katy Brennan
The Specialty Coffee Association is hosting its flagship North American Specialty Coffee Expo in Texas, gathering more than 17,000 attendees from 85 countries.
MRTA will be attending to meet new coffee off-takers for its specialty coffee portfolio in the Rusizi Basin and Lake Kivu region, as well as better understanding the market for specialty coffee in the USA.
Please reach out if you want to schedule a meeting!
CONTACT US
If you are an off-taker, investor or SME interested in the work that we do, then get in touch using the contact form below. A member of the MRTA team will respond shortly.
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