Sanle Sechange is set to open a new factory in March 2017 to produce high quality, organically certified dried fruit products, mainly mango. It follows the company’s move to build a new factory with higher capacity, with the help of Tradin Organic.

Sanle Sechange is a Burkinabe family- owned company specialized in mango products for export. Since 2007, Sanle works with local organic mango farmers. The products are processed into dried mango in their own two small-scale facilities. 

Burkina Faso is a low-income, landlocked country located in West Africa. Despite a decade of sustained growth, almost half of the population lived below the national poverty line in 2009. Mango plays a major role for food security and improvement of livelihood for rural populations in Burkina Faso: It is the main fruit crop, representing about 50% of the total fruit production. A substantial share of mangoes is being processed into products like dried mango for domestic and export markets, which helps to overcome high post-harvest losses and brings foreign exchanges to the country. 

The Challenge
Despite a growing processing industry, about 50% of total production is lost, mainly due to an absence of effective marketing channels and inadequate means of preservation. Through the cooperation with Tradin, the organic farmers have access to a bigger market. To increase production and further improve the quality of the product, Sanle and Tradin started working together in 2015 to construct a new, bigger and high quality drying facility. The partnership combines local knowledge and entrepreneurship with Tradin’s comprehensive expertise and experience in the organic sector. Furthermore, Tradin supported Sanle with the financing of necessary machinery. 

Expected Impact
The new factory will be able to employ 400 seasonal and full-time workers (both skilled and unskilled). Sanle provides trainings and teaches the workers the necessary skills to produce a high quality product that complies with international standards. All workers are paid a fair wage that is linked to the worker’s experience. The future aim is to produce other seasonal dried products. This maximizes the utilization of the factory and keep the workers employed year-around. Secondly, the processing of mangos means a secure market for local mango farmers. Farmers reported that since conversion, their incomes increased considerably due to better prices for their produce.  Production of other seasonal dried products in the future will also allow more farmers to get involved.

Building Sustainable Partnerships 
We recognize our long term relations with suppliers, such as Sanle, as one of the most important conditions for continuous growth and product improvement. Product development is key to Tradin’s success as a leader in the organic food market. Through partnerships we aim to overcome product development thresholds which limit the potential of our devoted organic suppliers.