About us

organic producer of raw materials from responsible value chains

Kenyan-German organic company

Q: What is LIMBUA and what is your mission?

LIMBUA is a German-Kenyan organic producer operating internationally, specialized in processing and exporting organic macadamia nuts, dried mango and avocado oil. Our mission is to promote sustainable agriculture, create fair incomes for smallholder farmers and provide high-quality organic products for the global market, with a clear focus on social responsibility, environmental protection and fair partnerships.

Q: Is LIMBUA both producer and supplier?

Yes. As an organic company, LIMBUA combines production and sales within one organization and oversees the entire value chain under one roof – from sourcing the harvests directly from smallholder farms, through processing in its own facilities at origin, to packaging and export to international customers.

Q: How is the traceability of the organic products ensured?

Harvests of macadamia nuts, mangos and avocados are purchased directly at the farms, digitally recorded and paid for via mobile phone. LIMBUA uses a proprietary software system, which has received the CSR Award of the German Federal Government, to link every step from harvesting and processing to refining, packaging and export back to the respective farm. This ensures full traceability for customers and fair, transparent conditions for the farmers who supply organic macadamia, dried mango and avocado oil.

Q: Why does LIMBUA avoid intermediaries in sourcing?

LIMBUA deliberately avoids intermediaries in order to protect farmers and buyers alike: fraud such as false weighing or missing payments is prevented because everything is handled digitally and transparently. Smallholder farmers gain direct market access by selling their harvests straight to LIMBUA instead of negotiating with middlemen, and they receive immediate payment via mobile phone. At the same time, every harvest is digitally recorded and traceable back to the individual farm, which enables transparent, fair pricing in a direct business relationship between the farmers and LIMBUA.

Q: How many employees does the company have?

LIMBUA currently employs more than 900 staff members in Kenya, working in the production facilities, the tree nursery and the agricultural team. In Germany, a team of more than ten employees coordinates sales, customer service and partnerships with international organic customers in the food and cosmetics sectors.

Q: How does LIMBUA support young people and women?

Over 90% of LIMBUA’s employees in Kenya are between 18 and 35 years old, and around 70% are women. This creates fair employment opportunities for the young generation and strengthens the economic perspectives of women in rural areas. Equal pay for all employees is a matter of course at LIMBUA and is an integral part of the company’s social responsibility.

sustainable value creation in partnership with organic smallholder farmers

LIMBUA is a Kenya-Germann organic company that combines organic agriculture, its own processing facilities and long-term partnerships with smallscale farmers in Kenya. In cooperation with more than 9,000 organically certified smallholder farmers, we produce and export macadamia nuts, avocado oil and dried mango. As a responsible organic producer, our aim is to create value at origin while building stable, long-term supply chains for professional markets worldwide. This approach ensures that our products are of high quality and come from a trusted source. The raw materials are harvested fresh on the farms and processed directly at origin in our own production facilities.

Product Portfolio

VIDEO: From smallholder farmers to customers

In this video, we show how LIMBUA operates as an organic company and responsible macadamia producer – from working with local smallholder farmers to processing the harvests at our own production sites in Kenya.

The focus is on the people behind the products, short distances at origin and the idea of keeping value where it is created.

DIRECTLY ON SITE

As an organic producer, we process the harvests directly at origin, so they do not need to be transported to the industrial areas of Nairobi or Thika. This keeps jobs and value creation within the region, allowing as many people as possible around Mount Kenya to benefit. Over the course of LIMBUA’s development, four rural production sites have been established:

GITHURE Macadamia processing

KITHUNGURURU Macadamia processing

KATHANGARI Tree nursery

KIANYAGA Macadamia processing

ENA Avocado oil & Mango processing

That means:
Close to the local people
Short transport routes
Fresh raw material
Improved standard of living for the rural population

YESTERDAY STARTUP

TODAY MARKET LEADER

The story of LIMBUA began in 2006 with a long journey: After studying economics at the University of Witten/Herdecke, Matti Spiecker was inspired by successful social entrepreneurs in Asia, Latin America and Africa. In Kenya, he met Peter Muchau Wangara. They developed the idea for a trading company specializing in organic macadamia nuts. Without middlemen, the two managing directors wanted to bring the harvest of Kenyan smallholders to the international market, leaving as much added value as possible in the country. Today, LIMBUA supplies the international organic market with organic macadamia nuts, avocado oil and dried mangoes processed at origin through direct supply chains. LIMBUA is now recognized as one of the leading organic macadamia producers worldwide. From the very beginning, production and sales have been combined within one company.

Our way there

Since day one, LIMBUA has been about sustainable business, focusing on ecological and social aspects.

LIMBUA’s production sites and nursery are located within smallholder farming communities. Many of the employees are family members of LIMBUA’s contracted smallholder farmers.

2006

While the company idea grows, the foundation WELT:KLASSE starts its work. It gives students the chance to get to know sustainability projects in Kenya and other countries.
2009

LIMBUA is founded as a German-Kenyan company specializing in organic macadamia nuts. A processing facility is established in Githure to process the harvest locally.
2012

After 3 years of conversion, the first smallholders receive full organic status. LIMBUA is therefore the first company in the world to accompany macadamia smallholders in achieving organic certification.
2014

There is an increasing demand for macadamia nuts in organic quality for natural food and cosmetics. LIMBUA grows and opens its second factory in Kithungururu.
2016

Well-known companies from the German and European organic market are now among LIMBUA's customers. To serve them, a third factory is built in Kianyaga.
2018

For more and more customers LIMBUA is considered a quality producer of organic macadamia nuts and thus the factory in Kithungururu is expanded to meet the increasing demand.
2020

The increasing demand ensures full capacity utilization in all three processing sites. Ideas are developed to bring more organic products from Kenyan smallholder farmers to the market.
2021

LIMBUA expands its product range with avocado oil. For this product, too, a modern factory is built on site, where the fruits are peeled, pitted and cold-pressed.
2022

Organic mango is now also being purchased from the farmers who work with LIMBUA. The fruits are processed into dried mangoes of organic quality.
2025

As an organic company LIMBUA now employs over 900 staff on the ground in Kenya and works with more than 9,000 organically certified contract smallholder farmers.

WHAT MAKES LIMBUA DIFFERENT

Since the founding, our aim has been to build a balanced partnership between Europe and Africa. Not only consumers should benefit, but also Kenyan farmers. This approach shapes how LIMBUA organises value creation and processing at origin.

Transparency

Macadamia consumers want to know where their products come from

Our organic products go through several production steps. Thanks to digital technologies, these remain transparent throughout the entire supply and production chain: It is always possible to trace which batch comes from which farmer - starting at the farm all the way to the logistics center.

This not only increases quality, but also customer satisfaction. At LIMBUA, it only takes a few clicks to view this information.

MANUFACTURING

In LIMBUA's four processing facilities, many production steps are done by hand. In this way we achieve a very high quality. In addition, manual processes create valuable jobs in the countryside. It also prevents families from being torn apart by people migrating to the cities - where a life in slums often awaits them.

It is usually family members of our smallholders who work in the factories and receive above-average wages, including contributions to health, nursing care and pension insurance.

Quality

From harvesting to packaging, our products undergo constant quality controls to ensure the highest possible product safety. This is also ensured by the short transport routes between the fields and factories.

In this way, we ensure that we process truly fresh products, which in turn increases product safety.

In addition, sustainable organic cultivation, gentle production processes and our nurseries, which produce grafted seedlings, all contribute to quality.

FAQ about LIMBUA

What is LIMBUA and what is your mission?

LIMBUA is a Kenyan-German organic producer operating internationally, specialized in processing and exporting organic macadamia nuts, mangoes, and avocados.

Our mission: To promote sustainable agriculture, create fair incomes for smallholder farmers, and at the same time provide high-quality organic products for the global market – with a clear focus on social responsibility, environmental protection, and fair partnerships.

Is LIMBUA both producer and supplier?

Yes. LIMBUA as an organic company oversees the entire value chain under one roof – from sourcing the harvests directly from smallholder farms, to processing in its own facilities, and finally to packaging and export.

How do you collaborate with smallholder farmers in Kenya?

LIMBUA works directly with more than 9,000 contracted smallholder farmers at the slopes of Mount Kenya in Kirinyaga County.

The farmers receive regular training, especially in organic cultivation practices.
They are provided with improved tree seedlings to sustainably expand their mixed farms.
Through modern digital systems, harvests are purchased directly at the farms, and payments are made securely via mobile phone.
LIMBUA gives farmers direct access to the market, enabling them to sell their products at fair prices without relying on middlemen.

The result: stable incomes, sustainable agriculture, and regional development.

How is the traceability of the organic products ensured?

The harvests – macadamia nuts, mangos, and avocados – are purchased directly at the farms, digitally recorded, and paid for via mobile phone.
This process is powered by a proprietary software system developed by LIMBUA, which was honored with the CSR Award of the German Federal Government.
Every step — from harvesting and processing to refining, packaging, and export — is transparently linked to the respective farm.

The result is full traceability: customers can be confident about the origin of their products, while farmers benefit from fair prices and a value chain free of intermediaries.

Why does LIMBUA avoid intermediaries in sourcing?

Protection against fraud: No false weighing or missing payments – everything is handled digitally and transparently.

Direct market access: Smallholder farmers do not have to negotiate with middlemen; they sell their harvests directly to LIMBUA without detours.

Direct payment: Farmers receive immediate payment via mobile phone (M-Pesa).

Transparency & traceability: Every harvest is digitally recorded and traceable back to the individual farm.

Fair pricing: Instead of intermediaries, there is only a direct business relationship between the farmers and LIMBUA.

How many employees does the company have?

LIMBUA currently employs more than 900 staff members in Kenya — working in the production facilities, the tree nursery, and the agricultural team.
In Germany, a team of over ten employees is responsible for coordinating sales to international organic customers.

How does LIMBUA support young people and women?

Over 90% of LIMBUA’s employees in Kenya are between 18 and 35 years old, and around 70% are women.

This creates fair employment opportunities for the young generation, economic perspectives for women, and contributes to greater gender equality in rural areas.

Equal pay for all employees is a matter of course at LIMBUA.

„When the added value stays in the country, more people benefit from Fair Trade. This idea guided me in founding LIMBUA.“

Matti Spiecker

Our Team

In Kenya. And Germany.

Around 9,000 smallholder farmers and their families now have a secure income through LIMBUA. At the same time, more than several hundred jobs have been created in four modern factories and in the tree nursery, with the majority of employees being women. In Germany, we are in charge of the distribution to wholesalers and retailers and to well-known natural food and natural cosmetics companies all over the world.