Ghana Startup Series: A Conversation with the Founder of Yvaya Farm

We sat down with Yvette, co-founder of Yvaya Farms to learn how they're turning would-be waste into a business opportunity (and some pretty delicious tropical fruit snacks) 

Tell us a bit about your brand mission and vision - what motivated you to start your brand?

Yvaya Farm is all about nourishing inquisitive imagination. We strive for our delicious, tropical, natural foods from Ghana to nourish people’s minds and bodies so they can be their best selves, question the world, and create something great.

We want everyone to feel and be great! What’s amazing is this greatness is not limited to the individual, but extends to our communities and our global industries.

Agro-processing as an arm of agribusiness plays an instrumental role in ensuring an agricultural industry that is sustainable, responsible, and economically positive - and through that a broader environment of prosperity. In Ghana that means reducing post-harvest loss (increasing resource efficiency,) generating income for farmers, and creating an economic incentive for organic agriculture.

After noticing that our fruit industry was being under-served - much of its value being taken advantage of outside the country - we decided to start Yvaya Farm. Our dream is to create a brand that serves the community it comes from, serves the world, and creates a global awareness of the amazing creativity and capacity of Ghanaian entrepreneurs in agribusiness.

What's your personal self-care or beauty routine?

My day absolutely has to begin with a glass of water with a shot of Noni juice (a local super fruit) followed by a glass of water with lime. This combination has me feeling unstoppable. Particularly when followed by a cup of coffee….

Any funny stories to share from your early startup days?

All our “funny” stories make me think of a quote I read somewhere: “we laugh to stop ourselves from crying.” 

What's one thing people might not know about you?

Neither my business partner nor I come from farming background! In fact, I didn’t even study business! Anthropology and French were my degrees at university.

What's next for your brand?

We’ve finally found our footing in the local market and are excited to expand to US e-commerce and beyond! Also, watch this space for natural dairy-free ice-cream!