Michael Annan-Forson’s journey from a modest kitchen operation to an export enterprise started with a easy LinkedIn publish.
Because the founder and CEO of Melach Coconut Processing Farm, primarily based in Ghana, Annan-Forson initially shared his selfmade coconut oil on the skilled networking platform. This caught the attention of a businessman in Jerusalem, who was intrigued sufficient to request a pattern. Upon receiving it, the standard impressed him a lot that he positioned an order for six tonnes, asking Annan-Forson to ship the cargo to Israel.
This order was no small feat for Annan-Forson, who had solely produced coconut oil on a small scale. However the problem didn’t deter him. The Israeli shopper, displaying appreciable belief, despatched a $35,000 advance fee to expedite manufacturing. “The person despatched me the entire quantity with out even understanding if I used to be genuine or not. I needed to pack up every thing in my flat in Accra and transfer to Kumasi within the Ashanti area the place I used to be in a position to lease a manufacturing unit area and buy a small grinding machine,” Annan-Forson remembers.
He was in a position to full the order in solely seven days, processing the coconuts faster than anticipated. The rabbi was despatched to Kumasi to certify if the oil met the kosher requirements of the Jewish faith.
Since that pivotal first sale, Melach Coconut Processing Farm has expanded its portfolio, turning into a key participant within the export of assorted coconut merchandise, together with oil, water, porridge, charcoal, potash, and sugar. Annan-Forson now sources uncooked supplies from smallholder farmers within the Nzema area of western Ghana, in addition to from company-owned plantations, making certain a gradual provide for his rising enterprise.
Learn our full interview with Michael Annan-Forson: The story of a coconut company that exports throughout the world