Fortunes look up for Evergreen Business Centre, Ghana

The C.E.O. of Evergreen Business Centre, Mr. Alex Preprah, at his cassava
 peel drying site in Ghana.

Evergreen Business Centre, is one of the new cassava processors working with CAVA II, Ghana. The company was established in 2009 in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana and produces industrial grade cassava flour (IGCF) for the plywood companies in Ghana. The company also produces high quality cassava chips and peels for feed mills who supply to export markets.

The owner, Mr. Alex Preprah, though young, is very enthusiastic to build up a vibrant cassava processing plant.  The company has two efficient graters that grinds about three tons of fresh cassava roots per day and does massive sun-drying with large tarpaulin spread over a large land area.  The company has over fifty acres of cassava farm with about 65 out-growers at Nkoransa in the Brong Ahafo region.  With permanent staff strength of twenty seven in the factory and at the farm, he has able to meet his demand. However, if demand for his products increase, the factory might not be able to meet demands.

Business Development Experts in CAVA II, Ghana with the C.E.O. 
of Evergreen Business Centre, Mr. Alex Preprah, at his cassava 
peel drying site in Ghana

In order to improve the efficiency of the factory, Business Development Expert of Cassava: Adding Value for Africa Project, Phase II (CAVA II), Ghana and the Regional Coordinator for Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions has been working with Evergreen Business Center, to assess its production systems.

The project carried out a business analysis on the company. At the completion of the assessment, the processor was advised to upgrade the efficiency of his factory by acquiring more efficient drying technology. The company was also exposed to best practices of cassava business. Consequently, the company has indicated plans to purchase cassava processing equipment by close of the year, specifically bin or cabinet drier. The company has begun to adopt the key things the team advised, such as factory hygiene, business expansion and putting up business systems to ease transaction by ensuring that legal and administrative procedures are followed.

Today, CAVA II, Ghana’s backstopping to Evergreen Business Centre is easily felt; the company is looking to make its way up in the cassava industry. Having adopted the best practices for cassava business, the company is beginning to see new growth in demand of their products.  The company recently got an order of about 100 tons of IGCF, 500 tons of chips and 50 tons of peels a month contract for a year; however, it can only supply about 50 tons of industrial grade cassava flour, 80 tons of Industrial Chips and 30 tons of cassava peels a month. Hopefully, business fortunes will get better for Evergreen Business Centre, when they acquire more efficient drying equipment.