KAITE Company

Socially Responsible Entrepreneurship

KAITE Company is engaged in sustainable social entrepreneurship through the cultivation, production, authentication, processing and marketing of high quality organic products for the local and international market. Up to now, the potential transformation of traditionally female-led domestic cultivation of herbs, spices and essential oil crops, into profitable and sustainable commercial production, has not been explored in Zimbabwe.

Through our emphasis on the organic production of herbs, spices, medicinal and aromatic plants, as well as staple foods, we ensure that small-scale farmers escape the vicious cycle of heavy reliance on imported inputs, unsustainable methods of farming, volatile produce markets, low producer prices, and lack of marketing. Our locally engineered mobile distillation unit is unique, being specifically adapted to the needs of small-scale producers, as it goes from rural community to community, to extract the oil from their crops. The income generated from the sale of partner farmers’ organic produce, provides a vital cash surplus for such necessities as food, school fees, bus fares, and medicine. In this way, participating farming communities benefit from a marked improvement in soil fertility and thus food security, as well as benefiting directly from the sale of their produce at favourable world prices, through the links KAITE offers them to international fair trade markets.

KAITE has the following key objectives:

• Engage in sustainable business practices which draw upon indigenous knowledge systems and build on existing networks;
• Produce high quality, fair trade products derived from herbs, spices, medicinal, and aromatic plants, such as essential oils;



• Generate foreign currency and increase food security by growing organically staple foods, such as maize, wheat, sorghum, and soya beans;
• Assist farmers with training and organic certification;
• Reduce farmers’ reliance on expensive imported chemical inputs;
• Market and distribute products in partnership with small farmers, thus generating employment and income for the producers themselves;
• Build upon in-depth knowledge already gained in organic production in Zimbabwe and foster future partners on the international scene.