Community Trust

The company is community-based, and is supported by local investors, farmers, development professionals and public sector specialist agencies.

The community interest in the company has been structured in the form of a trust, with a team of prominent local trustees appointed to act as custodians of the community’s interest and build local capacity. The community trust aims to earn sufficient revenues from the project to finance local development projects and much needed social infrastructure.

Institutional partners

To ensure that the project has the right technical and financial support, as well as market access, a number of key partnerships have been formed. These project partners each play a key role in advising, supporting, capacity building and/or financing the project. The partners are:

Amathole District Municipality and ASPIRE

The Amathole District Municipality plays an active role in local economic development, and is promoting a cluster of essential oil projects in the district. The economic development agency for the district, Aspire (previously AEDA), has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Essential Amathole, and provided financial and technical support for the trials.

www.amathole.gov.za
www.aspire.org.za

Nkonkobe Municipality and NEDA

The Nkonkobe Local Municipality, which falls under the District Council, owns several portions of land in the area, which it has made available to be utilised by the company for cultivation purposes. The company has developed close linkages with the Nkonkobe Economic Development Agency (NEDA) which falls under the Municipality.

www.nkonkobe.co.za

Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC)

The Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) is supporting the emergence of a number of essential oil clusters in the province, and has provided technical support and advice to the company, as well as funding to support the trials that are currently underway. Essential Amathole has signed a MOU the ECDC.  

www.ecdc.co.za

Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs (DEDEA)

DEDEA has championed the development of the Eastern Cape economy and promoted the development of economic clusters. They have provided financial support to the company through the ECDC.

http://www.ecprov.gov.za/department.php?index=3

Dohne Agricultural Research and Development Institute (EC Department of Agriculture)

The Dohne Agricultural Research and Development Institute is building research capacity, especially with respect to gas chromatography, to support the emergence of an essential oils industry in the region. They have provided valuable advice and support to the company.

http://www.openafrica.org/participant/dohne-agricultural-development-institute

Earthoil South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Earthoil South Africa (Pty) Ltd has supported the company with plant, technical skills and advice on distillation and agricultural practices, and is assisting with preparations for the commercial phase of operations. Earthoil South Africa (Pty) Ltd has extensive experience with both the global and South African essential oils industry, and the partnership gives the company access to successful best practices regarding agricultural production, oil extraction and marketing. Earthoil South Africa (Pty) Ltd will assist with establishing markets for oils and facilitating relationships with market players in the development of the local industry.

http://www.earthoil.com/3389

University of Fort Hare

The University of Fort Hare Plant Sciences Research Unit is actively involved in community development projects, using essential oils and medicinal plants, and has studied Pelargonium sidoides extensively. The Department of Agriculture has studied soil and climatic conditions in the area for many years, and played a key role in the early development of the South African essential oils industry. Through a partnership with the University of Fort Hare, the company proposes to build technical capacity in the fields of social facilitation, crop science and oil analysis in order to support the emerging cluster of essential oils projects.

ufh.ac.za