gebana Burkina Faso
We’re one of the biggest organic cashew and mango exporters in the country and have been investing in Burkina Faso for about twenty years.
PRODUCTS: Cashews, dried mangos
LOCATION: Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
COLLABORATION: since 2001
SUBSIDIARY: since 2006
EMPLOYEES: 700
ORGANIC FARMING AREA: 28'434 ha
We know the producers
We are in direct contact with the family farmers that supply us with cashews and mangos. Our field agents visit them regularly, maintaining contact throughout the year. They act as advisors on farming questions and provide training in agricultural practices.
More money for the farmers
Since 2019, producers have received 10 % of the turnover from their products sold in our online shop. Combined with Fairtrade premiums, this amounted to a total of EUR 634’916 in 2024.
We invest on site to expand production
We create jobs where raw materials grow. In 2025, we opened a new factory – a key step to increase local impact. Our goal is to increase production to 2000 tons of cashews and 1500 tons of dried mango per year. Read more about our new factory here.
Jobs that provide income and security
The new factory will grow our team within the next years from 700 to 1'800 employees. All staff is registered with the National Social Security Fund and gets free access to a nurse. On-site childcare enables women – 78 % of the staff – to take up employment at gebana Burkina Faso.
From waste to energy and fertilizer
In the new factory, cashew shells are turned into biochar using pyrolysis. The heat generated in this process is used to power the boilers. The resulting biochar is added to compost made from mango and cashew waste, which will be distributed to family farmers – storing CO₂ in the soil while improving its fertility, structure and water retention capacity.
Farming beyond organic
We support farmer groups in obtaining organic certification and provide trainings in organic farming practices. Beyond this, we promote dynamic agroforestry adapted to local conditions. By combining many different species selected for their ecological role within the system producers increase productivity and income while also strengthening biodiversity, soil health, and climate resilience. Read more about agricultural practices at gebana.
WANZA DJOUMA COULIBALY
FARMER FROM TOUSSIANA, BURKINA FASO
Chemicals cause disease, that’s why I farm organically.
"Sometimes our harvest is not enough to cover our own food needs. But you have to look at the positive: as a farmer, you are mostly independent", says Wanza Djouma Coulibaly. She currently works about 10 hectares of land, which is too little, according to her. "I want to become a big mango and cashew producer in the region. And all organic! Growing fruits and nuts organically is better for the environment and our own health. In fact, if I could do any other job, I would become an agronomist!"
Cashews
Unlike most West African cashews, which are exported to Asia for processing, ours are processed locally at our subsidiary gebana Burkina Faso, close to the cultivation areas. This creates jobs, keeps value in the community, and supports sustainable growth.
Mango
We source our certified organic dried mango through our subsidiary company gebana Burkina Faso directly from family farmers in the Hauts-Bassins and Cascades Regions of Burkina Faso.