About

Our Origins

In November 2011, nei was established as a social enterprise committed to accelerating the economic development of smallholder farmers. During a work sabbatical in Tanzania, former management consultant Juan noticed that many people depended on agriculture but often grew low-value crops like corn. Keen to find a way to increase value for farmers while also respecting the environment and soil, he started exploring vanilla – which seemed like an ideal crop with high export value and customers looking to expand their geographical sourcing. And so, nei was born in partnership with around 30 local farmers.

Today

Today, there are more than 13,000 smallholder farmers working with NEI across the region, as well as a team of 150 collaborators almost entirely based in Tanzania and Uganda. With extensive international experience in Flavours and Fragrances, VP Global Sales and Marketing Nicoletta delivers great taste products for B2B customers around the world – whether through the viva vanilla range or by developing new extracts with other crops like cacao.

Our Team

Leadership Team

Juan Guardado

Managing Director

Mate Masie

A symbol of wisdom, knowledge and prudence.

Jackson Omondi

Sustainability Advisor

Silas Noah

Government Liaison Lead

Bese Saka

A symbol of affluence, power, abundance and plenty

Godbless Baluhya

VP Operations

Kibunje Mageme

Quality Assurance and Food Safety Manager

Daniel Mhando

Finance Manager

Atoma Ntoaso

A symbol of agreement, togetherness and unity.

Nicoletta Beatrice

VP Global Sales and Marketing

Elizabeth Lupembe

HR Manager

Kokuromotie

A symbol of cooperation, participation, teamwork, indispensability, and harmony.

Abubaker Mulindwa

Managing Director, NEI Uganda

Juan Guardado

Managing Director

Godbless Baluhya

VP Operations

Mate Masie

A symbol of wisdom, knowledge and prudence.

Kibunje Mageme

Quality Assurance and Food Safety Manager

Daniel Mhando

Finance Manager

Atoma Ntoaso

A symbol of agreement, togetherness and unity.

Abubaker Mulindwa

Managing Director, NEI Uganda

Bese Saka

A symbol of affluence, power, abundance and plenty

Nicoletta Beatrice

VP Global Sales and Marketing

Elizabeth Lupembe

HR Manager

Kokuromotie

A symbol of cooperation, participation, teamwork, indispensability, and harmony.

Jackson Omondi

Sustainability Advisor

Silas Noah

Government Liaison Lead

Board

Sanjay
Rughani

CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Uganda Ltd and Chair of the nei Board

Joris
De Vries

Investment Director of Hooge Raedt Social Venture B.V. and Chair of the nei Talent Development and Compensation Committee

Javed
Mawji

Director of Tanlapia Ltd and Chair of the nei Audit & Risk Committee

Juan
Guardado

Nei Managing Director

Karen Serem
Waithaka

CEO of DOB Equity and nei Board Director

Our Vanilla Setup

Given our mission to create shared value, and the financial and environmental cost of transporting goods halfway around the world, it was important for us to build a local team, farmer network and facilities, from growing the beans to curing and processing.

Our Vanilla Setup

With the number of partner farmers and volume of vanilla produced continuing to grow, we provide support at different levels, from vine subsidies to dedicated training at setup, regular monitoring at key moments in the vine cycle and help getting certified – with a team of over 20 field agronomists.

Farmer Relationships

A two-way relationship enables farmers and nei to grow and learn together, whether through demos, farm visits or having local champions share their expertise. Building a community creates momentum to share best practices and drive local educational and environmental projects like agroforestry.

Innovation

Our Agro-Innovation Campus is a hive of activity from demo plots to composting. The campus provides nei with a reliable base supply of certified organic produce, but also the opportunity for farmers to test different techniques and growing conditions – like agroforestry.

Quality Control

To align with global food safety standards, we built our own microbiology labs compliant with ISO standards. Every batch of vanilla is quality checked and can be digitally traced from field to final product.

Processing and Operations

All primary production and manufacturing takes place in Tanzania and Uganda including controlled curing using tunnels. Local extraction and processing ensure that the vanilla travels less and is kept at its freshest – capturing all the aromas.
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