Pioneer in Fair Trade Farming in Africa

MY IMPACT

Frank Omondi is the founder of Grow Fairly Limited, which is based in Kenya. Grow Fairly sources organic macadamia nuts, cashews, and dried fruits from thousands of farmers throughout East Africa for further processing and exporting to Europe and the USA.

MY JOURNEY

Frank and his team trained thousands of partnering farmers to grow organic and fair-trade crops, providing them with over 2 million seeds to start their farms. Frank wanted to create a social enterprise that could employ women along the Kenyan Coast. Frank stated that it is clear to him that when one supports an African woman, one supports a whole community. He said that it gives him joy to see 600 women earning money, delivered directly to their phones. Frank understands that Africa is a key context for development over the next 20 years, and he seeks to improve access to opportunities, income, and resources for all.

Frank advocates for more fair-trade finance, and advocates for more support for climate change mitigation work in Africa. With Grow Fairly, the growth of farms in countries like Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia increase the climate resilience of contexts, as patterns of rain and heat shift to greater intensity. He recommends that the next generation of social impact entrepreneurs focus on businesses that help communities because it is more fulfilling. He recommends starting with what you have and starting as soon as possible.

Frank is inspired by Generation Z in Kenya, a group of young people who recently took to the streets to demand accountability and good governance from the government. The protests put the President under pressure leading to him rejecting the Finance Bill 2024 which sparked the street protests and would have forced the younger generation to pay the debt of the older generations. Frank shared how this kind of advocacy for accountability was inspiring to see.