By Lebogang Mashala
The Kgodiso Development Fund, established by PepsiCo South Africa after the acquisition of Pioneer Foods in 2020, has invested in agri-tech start-up Khula!
Khula! has created an ecosystem of three platforms that address challenges in the agricultural value chain. The fresh produce marketplace connects small-scale farmers, commercial farmers and distributors of fresh produce with retail, wholesale and export buyers; an input marketplace allows farmers to buy products and services from industry suppliers; and a funder dashboard allows buyers and sellers to complete orders and payments, and links farmers in need of funding with potential investors.
The Kgodiso fund aims to empower emerging farmers and help them achieve commercial success, while Khula! enables small and medium agricultural enterprises, commercial farmers and distributors to fully participate in the agricultural value chain.
Entrepreneurs Karidas Tshintsholo, Jackson Dyora and Matthew Piper are the trio behind Khula! and they say the Kgodiso Fund investment will allow them to sustainably finance emerging farmers and develop innovative ways to support their growth.
According to CEO Tshintsholo, having a marketplace and ecosystem that enables farmers to grow is crucial for bridging gaps and solving initial access-to-market problems. PepsiCo’s involvement will position Khula! well for offtakes and support Khula!’s ambition to expand beyond South Africa, he said.
The objectives of Khula! align with PepsiCo’s vision for the Kgodiso fund, which is to revolutionise the agricultural landscape by supporting sustainable farming enterprises, driving economic growth and promoting a sustainable food system. Additionally, the fund invests in small, medium and micro enterprises.
Setlakalane Molepo, chairperson of the Kgodiso Fund, said the relationship with Khula! is exciting because it aligns with the fund’s commitment to empower emerging farmers and promote regenerative agriculture practices that build agri-business resilience.
The CEO of PepsiCo Africa, Middle East and South Asia, Eugene Willemsen, said strategic partnerships with innovators such as Khula! help to address local development challenges and tackle knowledge and skills gaps across the food system to bring about large-scale transformation. “With the scale and reach of PepsiCo, this opens up new routes to market for farmers and producers,” he said.
Tshintsholo said he was grateful for the partnership with the Kgodiso fund. “We hope that this boost will help us scale the business operations and entrench our imprint on providing market access to South Africa’s new and emerging farmers,” he said.
