2SCALE Thematic Papers Not By Technology and Money Alone | Page 27

10. People, perennial
pineapples and
partnerships:
Making it happen
By Benjamin Horlali
Kofi Atidjah,
trainer-mentor,
Ghana
Key themes: PO-Firm relationship, Sustainability of coaching services, Functional capacities
HPW-Ghana PPP Summary
The partnership is led
by the company HPW
Fresh and Dry Fruits ltd,
and aims at securing
the sourcing of quality
traceable pineapple
and mango from small-
scale farmers and their
organisations. Here, the main story looks at the relationship between
pineapple farmers and the well-established HPW processing
firm from the point of view of the author’s reflecting on his
own role as trainer. He explains the process of developing
the farmers’ functional capacities, supporting them to
become more professionally organised and business-
minded. Because of the trustful relationship that emerges
over time between the farmers and HPW, the author
celebrates how the firm comes to realise the importance of
coaching on these soft skills is as a complement to technical
training.
Some emails you get can colour your day or make you
walk with a jump like an excited teenager. As trainer to the
2SCALE pineapple partnership in Ghana, I got one such
email on the 21st of March, 2017. An extract: “... A farmer
of the Pepawani Block Farm who harvested his pineapple
… reached the record yield of 28 tonnes and there is more
to come. Everybody is very happy and proud … our best
wishes and kind regards.” The mail came from Veronika
Hofer, Leader of the technical sourcing team of HPW Fresh
and Dry Ltd - and I read it again and again.
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Pineapple is a major crop in Ghana and HPW is a medium-
sized company involved in dry processing of fruits such as
mangoes, pineapple and coconut. A large percentage of the
processed dried fruit products is exported to Europe. The
challenge of HPW lies in how to get a regular supply of raw
materials, like pineapple in this case, and at a level of qual-
ity that satisfies its various exports and local markets. It is
a competitive space and other companies also source hard
for the same raw materials, leaving them all too often at the
mercy of the producers.