Putting Partnerships into Practice. 2020 edition

Putting Partnerships into Practice | 2020 edition

GHANA Fresh fruit plus coconut milk make for dairy-free African ice cream

Blue Skies has been producing fresh-cut fruit in Ghana since 1998 and has now diversified into freshly squeezed juice and dairy-free ice cream. The business employs around 3 500 people in its three factories in Ghana and sources fruit from over 120 farms across the country. The business predominantly supplies ‘own label’ products to a number of retailers including Albert Heijn in the Netherlands, Delhaize in Belgium and Carrefour and Monoprix in France. Products sent to Europe include freshly cut mango, coconut, pineapple and papaya. In

2018/2019, Blue Skies exported over 7 000 tonnes of fresh fruit into the EU. Exporting to Europe, thanks to duty-free market access under the EPA, has been a key growth factor for the company. Blue Skies has recently launched dairy-free ice cream, which is made using fresh coconut milk and has won numerous awards. In response to growing demand, Blue Skies is investing in a new state-of-the-art factory in Benin which is expected to be completed by the end of 2019 and will take advantage of direct flights from Cotonou to France.

Ghana’s exports to the EU are still dominated by mineral oil, cocoa beans, aluminium and bananas. However, exports of manufactured and value-added products are picking up. For example, exports grew strongly for cocoa butter, paste and powder (reaching EUR 500 million in 2018, up 82 % in 5 years), prepared tuna (EUR 138 million in 2018, up 27 % in 5 years), vegetable fats and oils (EUR 50 million, up 117 % in 5 years) and semi-processed or prepared fruits (EUR 7 million, up 100 % in 5 years).

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