The project

General information

• Borrower:                           YAK FAIR TRADE LTD
• Maturity:                            18 months, semi-annually and linearly amortizing
• Repayments:                     After 6, 12 and 18 months                  
• Interest rate:                      6.5% p.a.

Summary

Yak Fair Trade Ltd is a Rwandan agribusiness trade and livestock business (established in 2010) providing affordable and nutritious products (grains, meat and meat products), based in the Rwamagana district of the country’s Eastern Province. YAK sources indirectly from over 65,000 Rwandan small holder farmers through 52 cooperatives and processes them for sale to larger food processing companies.

One of YAK’s main clients is African Improved Foods (AIF), a public-private partnership involving DSM, Government of Rwanda, IFC, CDC Group and FMO, which locally produces highly nutritious foods for infants as well as pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.

Yak Fair Trade Ltd was founded by Janvier Gasasira and Mediatrice Uwingabire in 2010, initially focused on staple food value chain development including the processing and distribution of grains and wide variety beans and in 2010 expanded its offering to include dairy value chain development. YAK also owns shops in Kimironko Gasabo, Muhanga and Rwamagna districts for crop production.

Historically, YAK has purchased a minimum of 60% of its products from small holders farmers (via cooperatives) and hopes to increase the percentage of purchases from SHF through improved trade finance and capacity development of the farmers.

Loan purpose

The loan will be used for the purchase and sales of rice. With EUR 200,000 YAK Fair Trade is able to be purchasing 275,000 kg of rice from Tanzania and Pakistan. 

YAK also acknowledges the need for earlier education at the cooperative level to improve farming methodologies and output. Yak train farmers on best practices as well as post-harvest technologies to avoid loss of production.

Mission

The company’s mission is to sustain the private entrepreneurship through sustainable development of supply chains of food to different clients.

Vision

To become a leading and prominent regional and international company in the food supply chain.