[Disclosure: AgFunderNews’ parent company is AgFunder.]
“We believe Africa doesn’t have to follow the old models used elsewhere, it can leap forward into smarter, more sustainable ways of feeding its people,” says Elia Timotheo, founder of agribusiness marketplace EA Foods.
For the Tanzania-headquartered company, that means putting farmers at the center of food production, rather than simply treating them as one early stop in the food supply chain.
In many African markets, farmers have long grappled with inefficient supply chains that bar them from customers and make it almost impossible to earn a livable wage. Agribusiness marketplaces—which strive to close this gap—remain the top-funded category in African agrifoodtech, according to AgFunder’s recent Developing Markets AgriFoodTech Investment report made in partnership with Dutch entrepreneurial development bank FMO.
EA Foods, which Timotheo started more than a decade ago, believes “the right logistics, technology, and support” can build a bridge between farmers and markets, reducing waste and bolstering incomes in the process.
In a recent interview with AgFunderNews, Timotheo explained how EA Foods is doing this and what’s next for the company.
AgFunderNews (AFN): What motivated you to start the company?
Elia Timotheo (ET): We were inspired by what we saw on the ground: hardworking smallholder farmers growing food but struggling to sell it or make a decent income.
At the same time, people in towns and cities were paying high prices for food, and much of it wasn’t even fresh. It didn’t make sense. There was a disconnect in the system.
We started EA Foods to fix this and to build a bridge between farmers and markets. We believed that with the right logistics, technology, and support, we could reduce food waste, improve farmer incomes, and make fresh, affordable food more available to everyone.
AFN: How do supply chain inefficiencies trap smallholder farmers in the poverty cycle?
ET: Many smallholder farmers lose up to 30–40% of their harvests due to a lack of access to cold storage, transportation, and dependable markets. As a result, they are often forced to sell quickly, at low prices to middlemen, or risk having their produce spoiled.
These losses reduce their income, limit reinvestment in their farms, and keep them locked in a cycle of low productivity and poverty. Even when demand exists in urban areas, farmers are too far from the market, both physically and structurally.
AFN: What must be done to change this?
ET: We need to reimagine the food system around the farmer. This includes investing in decentralized infrastructure like mobile collection points and cold-chain solutions, but equally important is building trust-based commercial models offering price transparency and guaranteed offtake.
Farmers also need access to real-time market insights, digital payments, and financing tools linked to performance and delivery. Most importantly, we must shift the mindset from short-term trading to long-term partnerships with farmers, where they are treated as key supply chain partners, not just producers.
AFN: How does EA Foods assist with making such changes?
ET: We support farmers across the entire value chain from planting to payment. First, we facilitate access to high-quality inputs such as seeds and fertilizers and training on modern, climate-smart farming techniques. When harvest time comes, farmers deliver their produce to our rural hubs, where we sort, grade, and store it to maintain quality and reduce post-harvest losses.
We also offer a guaranteed offtake. We buy produce directly at fair, pre-agreed prices and pay farmers quickly, giving them financial security and removing the uncertainty of informal markets. We also facilitate financial literacy training, and connect farmers to loan products from our trusted financial partners, helping them invest in their farms sustainably.
We also run community-based CSR initiatives focused on education, health, and local development because we believe farming success should uplift entire communities, not just individuals.
AFN: In which African markets do you currently operate?
ET: We currently operate in Tanzania and Kenya, managing the full value chain from sourcing at the farm gate to selling to end buyers. In Tanzania, we’re active across key regions including Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, and Zanzibar, with rural collection hubs feeding into a structured urban distribution network. We’ve expanded to Kenya and are fully operational sourcing directly from farmers, processing produce, and supplying it to retailers, foodservice providers, and institutions.
Our integrated model ensures consistent quality, traceability, and timely delivery, while creating better income opportunities for farmers in both countries.
AFN: What do you have planned for 2025?
ET: We aim to scale operations by expanding rural collection centers into hubs for sorting, grading, and customizing products while increasing urban fulfillment center capacity for wider market reach.
We’re developing a rice mill to clean, refine, and grade rice, ensuring consistent quality. Introducing a customer app will enable direct tracking and reduce reliance on sales reps, improving convenience.
Technology upgrades will enhance logistics, market forecasting, and overall efficiency. Despite challenges such as supply chain volatility, regional expansion, and last-mile delivery costs, we remain committed to staying agile.
AFN: What excites you most about African agrifoodtech?
ET: Africa has a young, fast-growing population and vast agricultural potential, but most of the food systems are still informal and inefficient. What excites us is the chance to build something better from the ground up.
Technology allows us to connect farmers and markets in real time, reduce waste, increase transparency, and create fairer systems.
We believe Africa doesn’t have to follow the old models used elsewhere, it can leap forward into smarter, more sustainable ways of feeding its people. Agrifoodtech is the tool that can help make this happen, and we’re proud to be part of that journey.
