The Canex Africa Pavilion at Anuga 2025: Where Ten African Pioneers Forged a New Legacy

As the world’s largest food fair fades into memory, the relationships and opportunities born at the Canex Africa Pavilion continue to flourish. Curated by Ndarama Works and proudly supported by the Afreximbank CANEX programme, this pavilion represented something far greater than a conventional exhibition space—it served as a dynamic ecosystem where Africa’s most innovative food and beverage creators came together as a unified force. The ten selected brands arrived in Cologne after intensive preparation, armed not only with exceptional products but with a shared determination to rewrite the narrative of African export. What unfolded over those five days was nothing short of magical: individual success stories became interwoven into a collective triumph, demonstrating the power of collaboration in elevating continental excellence.

APL Vanilla & Spices 🇲🇬

Step into the aromatic world of APL Vanilla & Spices, where the rich biodiversity of Madagascar is transformed into a symphony of pure, potent flavours. Under the visionary leadership of Gianna Palmaro, this purpose-driven enterprise partners with a network of over 5,000 local growers, ensuring that every vanilla bean and spice tells a story of empowerment and sustainability. Their operations, spanning from Antananarivo to Maroantsetra, are a testament to a deep commitment to quality and traceability, with a remarkable 85% of their permanent workforce being women. APL’s range of conventional and organic-certified products meets the highest international standards, making them a trusted supplier to multinationals in the food and cosmetics industries across 20 countries. By choosing APL, you are not just sourcing premium ingredients; you are investing in a model that uplifts rural communities and honours the unique terroir of Madagascar.

SweetKiwi 🇳🇬

Sweetkiwi is leading a delicious revolution in the frozen dessert aisle, proving that better-for-you can be a breathtaking indulgence. Founded by the award-winning dynamo Ehime Eigbe, this woman and minority-owned brand was born from a personal health journey and a passion for real, functional ingredients. Their breakthrough product—a luxuriously creamy Whipped Greek Yogurt formulated in Ehime’s own kitchen—has already captured the market, landing on the shelves of nearly 2,000 stores, including Whole Foods Market, Walmart, and Kroger. Sweetkiwi is whipping up the category with a focus on uniqueness, nutrition, and unforgettable taste, building on its success as West Africa’s biggest frozen yogurt brand. This is a brand that combines visionary entrepreneurship with a steadfast commitment to advocating for safe, sustainable, and equitable food systems.

Tagfeef 🇪🇬

Embark on a journey to the forefront of food technology with Tagfeef, the pioneer bringing the future of snacking to Egypt and beyond. Spearheaded by Ossama El Awady, a seasoned business developer with 18 years of experience at Unilever, Tagfeef has mastered the art of freeze-drying with its innovative brand, “Séche.” Through advanced technology, they capture the peak freshness, vibrant colour, and intense, natural flavour of fruits, creating snacks that are explosively crisp, nutrient-rich, and incredibly light. This is agri-processing at its most sophisticated, a perfect fusion of global supply chain expertise and a passion for growing businesses and talents. Tagfeef is not just creating snacks; it is introducing a new, sophisticated dimension of clean, captivating flavours to the market.

NutriSeed 🇿🇦

Experience wellness that feels as good as it tastes with NutriSeed, a beloved South African brand founded by the inspired entrepreneur Nadine Hardy Silcock. Driven by a powerful “Health with Heart” philosophy, NutriSeed turns wholesome, natural ingredients into delicious snacks and breakfasts like their renowned Coconola and NuSeed ranges. Every product is crafted with integrity and a deep care for community, a commitment reflected in Nadine’s initiatives, such as funding a program that feeds over 150 children weekly in her local township. As one of South Africa’s most trusted names in natural foods, NutriSeed brings together the power of nutrition with the simple joy of eating well. This is a brand that believes food is more than nourishment—it’s a way to care, to connect, and to inspire healthier living for everyone.

MonChoco 🇨🇮

Discover chocolate in its most alive and authentic state with MonChoco, the pioneer bean-to-bar chocolate factory in Abidjan. Visionary founder Dana Mroueh was inspired by her grandfather’s wisdom and honed her craft with master chocolatiers in Belgium before returning to the source in Côte d’Ivoire. By gently crafting chocolate in its raw form, MonChoco masterfully preserves the bean’s vibrant nutrients and complex, terroir-driven flavours, offering an intense and pure taste of the Ivorian forest. Each bar is a testament to an unwavering ethical commitment, respecting nature, farmers, and consumers alike. For an authentic taste of pure, unadulterated delight that awakens the senses, MonChoco is a revelation for the conscious chocolate connoisseur.

Sunbird Rooibos 🇿🇦

From the majestic landscapes of the Cape, Sunbird Rooibos is curating a new narrative for an African heritage tea, elevating it from a humble staple to a drink of discerning nuance. Founder Anton Louw, with a palate refined by his childhood on a wine farm and tea adventures in Nepal, presents a world-first: a range of Single-Origin Rooibos teas. Without blending or adding flavourings, each variety tells a unique story of its specific growing conditions, made distinct by the climate, soil, and biodiversity of the Cape. Their success is matched by stylish, sustainable packaging that strongly promotes reusability and compostability. Sunbird invites you to savour Rooibos as you would a specialty coffee—a sophisticated, sensory journey in every sip.

MC Ingredients 🇲🇬

MC INGREDIENTS is your trusted bridge to the potent, pristine flavours of Madagascar, specializing in premium spices, vanilla, essential oils, pulses, and medicinal plants. Co-founded by Danny Hervol and Mia Rajaona, this dynamic company has built a resilient and transparent network of over 7,000 smallholder farmers, ensuring certified, traceable supply chains from field to export. With a focus on international standards, including Organic and Kosher certifications, they guarantee quality and reliability for global clients. Mia, a YALI Fellow, ensures their “growth with us” motto empowers rural communities, promotes gender inclusion, and protects Madagascar’s unique ecosystems. When you choose MC INGREDIENTS, you are choosing ingredients the world can trust, sourced with a profound commitment to sustainability and positive social impact.

Miami Canners 🇿🇦

For over four decades, Miami Canners has been a cornerstone of South African food production, working directly with local farms in Limpopo Province to deliver trusted, quality canned goods to families across the nation. Under the visionary leadership of owners Yolande and Mark Pieterse, this family-run business has evolved from a small jam producer into a leading name in preserved foods, trusted by all major retailers across Southern Africa. Their colourful array of products—including vibrant Mango Atchar, zesty pickled gherkins, and rich sweet tomato relishes—are a celebration of local agriculture and time-honoured recipes. Leveraging the region’s ideal climate, they work closely with local farmers to ensure the highest-quality raw materials for unparalleled freshness and consistency. Every jar and can from Miami Canners is a testament to generations of quality, blending trusted family recipes with a proud South African heritage to bring wholesome, affordable goodness to your table

Sunshine Nut Company 🇲🇿

Taste the goodness that changes lives with The Sunshine Nut Company, where every premium cashew delivers world-class quality and transformative social impact. Founded by Don Larson, who left a corporate career for a life of purpose, the company operates on a revolutionary “Sunshine Approach” business model. Every single nut is grown, roasted, and packaged in Mozambique, creating dignified jobs and a stable market for smallholder farmers. Most shareholder profits are donated to fund orphan care and farming community upliftment, making each purchase a direct force for good. This is a quadruple-bottom-line business—financial, environmental, social, and transformational—proving that value-driven commerce built on dignity, love, and community can achieve excellence in every way.

SITA SA 🇨🇮

Meet SITA SA, a titan of the Ivorian cashew industry and a golden standard of sustainable agro-business with a legacy of inspiring female leadership. For over 30 years, under the guidance of Founder Madame Toure Massogbé and now her daughter, Deputy General Manager Sarata Touré Koné, SITA SA has mastered the entire value chain from plantation to export. Their modern processing facility in Odienné, with an annual capacity of 20,000 metric tons, is a catalyst for local development, having transformed the district from 120 hectares to over 150,000 hectares of cashew plantations. As the first eco-citizen company certified HACCP in the Ivorian cashew sector and a national award-winner, they are a model of a sustainable, inclusive agro-industrial company. Choosing SITA SA means partnering with a leader dedicated to boosting local processing in Africa and building a legacy of quality that strengthens a nation.

The Gateway to Africa’s Global Food Marketplace

The true resonance of the pavilion was perhaps best captured not just in sales leads, but in the shared moments between the exhibitors themselves. The spontaneous collaboration between SweetKiwi and NutriSeed, who discovered their products created a perfect culinary pairing, became a symbol of the pavilion’s collaborative spirit. This sentiment was echoed by many, including a representative from Sunshine Nut Company, who shared, “Sitting beside inspiring entrepreneurs… I left each conversation encouraged and challenged to keep growing.” This was the pavilion’s ultimate success: ten individual threads of ambition, woven together by Afreximbank and Ndarama Works into a tapestry of unified African excellence, proving that the whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts.

The Canex Africa Pavilion is a dedicated platform to amplify African creativity and innovation, including in the gastronomy sector, providing African SMEs with unparalleled access to global markets. For more information on these brands and how to connect with them, please reach out to us at Ndarama Works: info@ndaramaworks.com.