They turned disappointments into business restructuring, becoming producers of exportable mangos that they used to struggle to get from individual farmers.
For years, MakolaHub was exporting mangoes sourced from independent growers in Ghana, but decided on a more direct approach to production to meet international market standards.
After starting its own small mango farm in 2021, the first commercial harvest has begun, says Alex Kravecas of MakolaHub.
“In 2019, we were aggregating mangoes from independent farmers for export. One of the biggest lessons we learned was how difficult it was to consistently produce the quality required by premium overseas buyers when we did not control the farm itself.”
With proper agronomy practices, the company is confident of meeting the requirements the buyers demand.
“In 2021, we decided to take a different approach and established our own small mango farm in Ghana, designed specifically for the high-quality airfreight export market. This year is particularly exciting for us because we are beginning our first season of commercial fruit production.”
MakolaHub is deliberately investing in limited farm size, with the focus on quality and consistency rather than maximising volumes.
“The farm is intentionally small and focused. At full production, we expect approximately 30 tonnes per year, and we grow exclusively Kent mangoes,” Kravecas explains.
“Rather than maximising volume, our objective has been to see how consistently we can produce premium-quality fruit through much tighter control of agronomy, including regular soil testing and management, a disciplined crop-protection and spraying program, and close attention to fruit quality throughout the growing cycle.”
According to Kravecas, MakolaHub has also been testing a dwarfing rootstock as part of effectively managing the farm.
“We have also been testing the Israeli 13-1 dwarfing mango rootstock, to maintain smaller, more manageable trees that are easier to spray, prune and harvest while producing high-quality export fruit.”
In the long term, MakolaHub intends to use its farm to demonstrate what could be a boost for Ghana’s mango sector when growing practices are geared towards premium export markets.
“Ultimately, we hope the farm can serve as a model for what Ghanaian mango production can become,” he says.
“Ghana has some significant natural advantages for the premium export market: it is considerably closer to Europe and the Middle East than South American origins, and it has two natural mango production windows each year, approximately December to January and May through July.”
The company sees the combination of these production windows and Ghana’s location as an opportunity to strengthen its position in the international mango trade.
“Our hope is to demonstrate that, with the right farm management and attention to quality, Ghana can become a much stronger competitor in the international premium mango market,” Kravecas says.
“For MakolaHub, reaching the first commercial harvest also marks the latest stage in a process that began with sourcing fruit from independent growers,” Kravecas concludes.
For more information:
Alex Kravecas
MakolaHub
Tel: +1 201 394 0368 (US)
Tel: +233 548 762 162 (GH)
akravecas@makolahub.com
www.makolahub.com/
