CBI Dried MangoExport Readiness for Burkinabè Dried Mango Companies
Burkina Faso produces some of West Africa’s best dried mango—but few processors were ready for the demands of EU markets. Sense led export readiness and coaching support, working directly with companies to fix the commercial, operational, and food safety bottlenecks that prevent African processors from scaling into international trade.
What We Did
Results
Why It Matters
What We Did
- Delivered hands-on export coaching to dried mango processors, covering pricing, cost structures, contracts, logistics, and buyer expectations.
- Conducted factory-level diagnostics and food safety audits, translating EU buyer requirements (HACCP / FSSC trajectories) into practical action plans.
- Facilitated direct engagement with EU importers, including factory visits, roadshows, and shipment troubleshooting.
- Supported investment decision-making, linking processors to appropriate equipment suppliers and guiding cost-benefit analysis for upgrades.
Results
- Processors shifted from intuition-based pricing to fact-based costing and margin management, enabling realistic export pricing.
- Two companies successfully sold and shipped containers to EU buyers, establishing proof of concept for sea-freight exports.
- Product rejections and contract disputes were significantly reduced through improved batch coding, palletisation, and contract management.
- Two companies invested in and commissioned industrial mango drying equipment, improving conversion rates and product consistency.
- One processor successfully achieved HACCP certification, overcoming issues that had previously led to failed audits.
Why It Matters
- Export markets are critical for scaling agri-processing in Africa—but only companies with commercial discipline, food safety systems, and operational control can compete.
- Sense’s approach goes beyond training: it de-risks export for buyers and exporters alike, creating repeatable pathways to international markets.
- Strong export-ready processors anchor wider value chains—driving farmer demand, job creation, and foreign exchange earnings.
- The lessons from Burkina Faso inform replicable export readiness models that Sense applies across African processing sectors.
