Kennemer Foods International, Inc. is a Philippine agribusiness company specializing in the growing, sourcing and trading of high-quality agricultural crops such as fermented cacao beans sourced from smallholder farmers.
History
Established in 2010, Kennemer started out as a buying and post-harvest center in Davao. Kennemer soon realized that there was insufficient volume of quality cacao beans available in the Philippines. Farmers were farming in an environment characterized by old trees, inadequate knowledge and technology especially in good agricultural practices and pest and disease management, lack of access to affordable financing, lack of technical support and market access limitations. Consequently, there was almost zero planting of cocoa trees in the Philippines a few years ago due to the lack of motivation of farmers brought by these limitations. Since then, Kennemer has expanded its offerings to encompass the complete agricultural value-chain from planting materials, training, agri-technology, to linking to export markets.
Commitment to Rural Development
Kennemer is committed to rural development in the Philippines, working in various areas covering agrarian reform, community-based forest management and indigenous people communities. Kennemer ensures inclusive growth in these communities by (1) promoting market transparency, (2) providing fair value pricing for produce, and (3) implementing sustainable farming practices. Kennemer enables farmers to have sustained improvements in income and quality of life, thus reducing poverty in some of the poorest areas in the country.
Operations
Kennemer is actively planting trees and setting up cacao centers throughout Mindanao, Visayas and Palawan. Kennemer offices are located in Davao, Tagum, Dipolog, Carmen (Bohol), Puerto Princesa and Makati.