COMPANY: GREEN ETHIOPIA

FOUNDERS:
1.Biruktawit Dawit
2. Ghionawit Gebru
3. Iman Mustafa
4. Birtukan Legessa

INSPIRATION TO START THE BUSINESS:

Due to an increase in demand of agriculture production, the need of soil fertility is dramatically increasing in Ethiopia. This resulted in an increase usage of artificial fertilizers. Even though these chemical fertilizers promise soil fertility and an increase in production, they come with their own disadvantages.

The constant use of artificial fertilizers results in damaged soil; plant toxicity (crops or yields); contaminated water streams; and health related problems. Seeing these problems related to artificial fertilizer, Green Ethiopia’s Inspiration is to these problems using available resource such as organic waste.

BACKGROUND OF FOUNDERS:

• Biruktawit Dawit – Mechanical Engineer and Management graduate, she has been working as a CEO of Green Ethiopia
• Ghionawit Gebru – Mechanical Engineer, she has been working as a CTO of Green Ethiopia
• Iman Mustafa – Chemistry graduate, she has been working as a Chemist of Green Ethiopia
• Birtukan Legessa – Mechanical Engineer, she has been working as a CFO of Green Ethiopia

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

Green Ethiopia is a private company that works on organic fertilizer production towards enhancing soil fertility, plant growth, and yield in Ethiopia. Our company produces organic fertilizers that are derived from organic wastes and sell the product to farmers, institutions and individuals. Green Ethiopia developed a prototype (organic fertilizer and the machine used to develop it). This project offers increasing productivity and quality of agricultural production by maintaining healthy soil and using eco-friendly approach.
Green Ethiopia has been started about a year ago. During this period of time, Green Ethiopia members  worked on the proto types (organic fertilizer  and machine used to develop it). The prototypes were tested at Awash Melkasa Agro industry with positive results from both testing our product in the field and in the laboratory was great.

KEY CHALLENGES

• Bureaucracy.
• Workplace.
• Unfavorable government policies.
• Identifying appropriate suppliers.
• Lack of mentorship.

SOCIAL IMPACT

• • Green Ethiopia is working on organic fertilizer to enhance soil fertility a key concern for farmers and the agricultural sector, a core part of the Ethiopian economy.
  • Sanitation and beautification
  • Food security
  • Job creation

FUTURE EXPANSION PLANS:

• Establishing an organic farm
• Developing an alternative energy source
• Green Ethiopia will open a main factory near Addis Ababa city since there is a huge accumulation of waste. After three or four years, Green Ethiopia will open branches at different parts of Ethiopia to address the problem of local farmers.
  

FUNDING REQUEST:
Approximately USD 46,000