Agribusiness pioneer Catherine Krobo Edusei transitions to Founder Emeritus and Director after 29 years of trailblazing leadership, as Pangea Africa's Tracy Boswell Scicchitano joins the Board of Directors.

    Stakeholders execute a highly creative African secondary market transaction, acquiring majority shares from exiting international impact fund Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P).

    Grant Webber steps in as CEO to scale production, directly addressing West Africa's food security and post-harvest nutrient preservation gaps.

Pangea Africa Ltd (Pangea) and Black Star Africa Ltd (BSA) have announced the joint acquisition of a majority stake in Eden Tree Limited (Eden Tree), Ghana's premier producer and distributor of fresh, packaged fruits and vegetables.

The transaction represents a major evolution for West African capital markets. In buying out international impact fund Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P), who held shares in the company since 2015, the stakeholders have executed a rare secondary market transaction. 

This deal highlights the growing sophistication of the Ghanaian financial ecosystem, proving that the local ecosystem can structure and execute complex, multi-tiered exits even amidst challenging global macroeconomic headwinds and local currency adjustments.

A Generational Handover of Women's Business Leadership 

Founded in 1997 by female entrepreneurship icon Catherine Krobo Edusei, Eden Tree has grown from a single-room packaging operation into a household brand in Ghana, managing a vast network of outgrower farmers and a state-of-the-art processing facility in Tema. 

As Catherine transitions to her new strategic role as Board Director and Founder Emeritus, the company's commitment to female executive leadership remains central. Tracy Boswell Scicchitano, Director at Pangea Africa, will formally join the Board of Directors to help guide the company's next phase of regional growth.

"Building Eden Tree over nearly three decades has been the privilege of my life", said Catherine Krobo Edusei.

"From our humble beginnings, we proved that Ghanaian agribusiness can meet strict international standards of safety, quality, and consistency. I am proud to pass the baton of stewardship to Pangea and Black Star Africa. Having Tracy join the Board ensures that the spirit of female leadership and strategic vision that has defined Eden Tree for 29 years will continue to drive this company forward.

"Catherine's resilience, vision, and operational grit since 1997 have built a foundational asset that is ready for regional scale", said Tracy Boswell Scicchitano, incoming Board Director of Eden Tree and Director at Pangea Africa.

"At Pangea, we believe that empowering local food systems requires active, hands-on equity stewardship. We are incredibly proud to continue Eden Tree's history of strong women's leadership at the governance level. By working closely with I&P, Catherine, and our banking partners, we have proven the oft-cited phrase that 'Ghana is open for business'

"

Private Agribusiness: The Real Answer to the Food Security Crisis

This acquisition closes at a critical moment for global development. The latest food security assessments from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) indicate a worrying, systemic failure to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (specifically SDG 2: Zero Hunger).  With healthy, nutrient-dense diets increasingly unaffordable for millions across West Africa, the private sector is stepping into the gap left by international institutions.

"While global institutions debate policy at international summits, local private agribusinesses are taking direct, physical action to combat hunger", noted John Scicchitano, Strategic Advisor at Pangea Africa. "In West Africa, up to 50% of fresh fruits and vegetables spoil after harvest because of fragmented supply chains and cold-chain failures, driving up the cost of nutritious food. Eden Tree is solving this on the ground.  By installing solar-powered cooling units near farms, expanding climate-smart drip irrigation, and organizing outgrower cooperatives, we will preserve nutrients from field to fork, directly driving down the cost of a healthy diet in Ghana".

"Our immediate focus is operational optimization", added Grant Webber, incoming Chief Executive Officer of Eden Tree and representative of Black Star Africa.

"By combining Black Star's turnaround execution with Pangea's strategic capital, we are building an integrated West African fresh food champion." 

Unlocking Capital Lifecycles in West Africa

The transaction also represents a landmark success story for international impact investing in West Africa.

"The secondary exit of I&P Afrique Entrepreneurs Fund from Eden Tree represents a healthy, mature investment lifecycle in Ghana, said Francis Owusu of I&P. "We are proud of our decade-long partnership with Catherine Krobo Edusei, during which the company expanded its processing facilities and professionalized its operations. We leave Eden Tree in the exceptionally capable hands of Pangea and Black Star Africa, who have the strategic vision and local operational capacity to take this business to its ultimate potential".