Ghana's Farms to Accra's Markets: Ghana's Biggest Honey Producer & Accra's Hottest Agritech Entrepreneur | S6 Ep. 4

The Sound of Accra Podcast

Adrian is joined by two friends who are some promising young and up and coming Entrepreneurs in Ghana from the Agriculture space; Nana Kofi of Merdeo Foods and Gideon Awelana-Bulase of The Honey Palace. Join us as we explore the challenges and opportunities in the agricultural industry, the impact of technology, real estate, and climate change on farming, and the innovative solutions these entrepreneurs are bringing to the table. From supply chain issues to exciting expansion plans, get ready for an eye-opening conversation that will leave you inspired and informed about the future of agriculture in Africa.

Gideon Bulase was born and raised in Achimota, Ghana. His passion for business and entrepreneurship began when he met a cousin at Achimota Mall who introduced him to the world of honey production. Intrigued by the idea, he accompanied his cousin to the market to buy ingredients and learned more about the honey business. From that moment on, Gideon was hooked. He began to research and study the honey industry, eventually starting his own small honey production business. Today, Gideon is a successful entrepreneur and proud owner of a thriving honey business, thanks to that chance encounter at Achimota Mall.

Nana Kofi launched Merdeo Foods, a procurement platform linking farmers with urban vendors in Accra and providing data solutions, on back of being a University student, following his national service completed with ZeePay.

In this episode you will learn:

- The impact of technology penetration and slow acceptance in the agricultural industry.

- The encroachment of real estate development on farmlands and the potential for future food scarcity.

- The influence of climate change on agriculture and the hope offered by advancements like vertical farming.

- The encouragement for entrepreneurs to enter the agriculture industry to address the current challenges.

- The challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship in agriculture, demanding a realistic mindset.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

04:12 Founder of Merdeo Foods connecting farmers & vendors.

06:21 Ghanaian business and mentoring young entrepreneurs.

12:29 Frustration with unreliable pricing, entrepreneurial mindset focus.

14:50 Warehouse adding wind turbine for produce preservation

16:59 Unique, affordable digital POS system for restaurants.

20:04 Bees feed on various tree sources. Monoflora honey.

25:46 Supply chain challenges, including government compliance issues.

26:47 Beehive funding, challenges, expansion in farming operations.

29:36 Starting day early, prioritizing meetings, valuing training.

35:23 Encouraging technology growth, but acceptance is slow.

36:51 Warning of hot 2025; hope in technology

40:02 Entrepreneurship is hard but rewarding. Accept it.

44:16 Outro

Special thanks to Workspace Global

Season 6 Sponsors: Workspace Global (connects you to remote creative teams that offer a variety of design, digital and development services to help you build and grow your brand.)

Follow Gideon and The Honey Palace

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gideon-awelana-buluse-494699182/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_honeypalace/

Follow Nana Kofi and Merdeo Foods:

Website: https://www.merdeofoods.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nana-kofi-sarpong/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merdeofoods/

Watch season 6 episode 1 with Twi Learning Center: https://youtu.be/6kuFxHScmLk?si=RjHXBeaT1eQHFzKV

Catch up with Season 5 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnqpgGxTAXg&list=PLJUVirAfWnNoGiJNHHWm6aYTUUberuD5V

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About The Sound of Accra Podcast

Our mission is always the same, to promote Global Ghanaian excellence. And always to bring you closer to Accra, whenever you are, with powerful stories that make you want to take action in your career, business or personal life.

For almost 5 years, we have been championing global Ghanaian founders, entrepreneurship and Creators through podcasting. We've achieved 10s of thousands of audio downloads worldwide and published well over 150 episodes to date.

It's our mission to grow and establish global audience, and become a go-to resource for learning about native and diasporan Ghanaian Creators, Entrepreneurs and Founders worldwide.

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Workspace Global are the official sponsors of Season 6 of The Sound of Accra Podcast. Workspace Global connects you to remote creative teams that offer a variety of design, digital and development services to help you build and grow your brand.

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