Organic & Natural Products Expo Africa confirms Packed Programme of Expert Speakers for Cape Town...

1d ago | Source: CVLC Communication

Bernhard Lembeck of ProNature

The Cape Town Organic & Natural Products Expo Africa conference programme is among the most ambitious to date, with confirmed speakers drawn from retail, agribusiness, wellness, finance, and government. The sessions are designed to give attendees practical tools and fresh perspectives they can apply directly to their businesses.

With Standard Bank onboard as headline sponsor this year, the Organic & Natural Products Expo Africa returns to the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from 17 to 19 April 2026 as the foremost gathering for exhibitors, buyers and thought leaders in this sector across three days of trade, discovery, and knowledge-sharing.

"We are delighted to be a partner again this year, on a greater scale, as we believe in this sector's potential to drive sustainable economic development that benefits communities across our continent. Our vision is to see Africa become a global leader in the organic and natural products space, not just as a supplier of raw materials, but as a hub for innovation, processing, and brand development," says Deenash Pillay, Head of Small Business Segments for Business and Commercial Banking at Standard Bank.

Business, Retail and the Road to Export

Friday 17 April opens with "Keep Growing" - a financial health session for small businesses. Our expert panel from Standard Bank features Siduduzo Ntshangase, ?Nokhanyo Ntshingila, ?Qaanita Dollie and ?Glen Pratt.

This will be followed by "AI for Small Business - Work smarter, not harder" by Theunis de Klerk, co-founder of Serova AI.

Warren Wilkensky from Our Cosmetics will then present on "Conscious Consumerism".

The afternoon brings retail intelligence to the fore. Andrea Slabber, Insights Lead at Trade Intelligence, will unpack retailer trends in health and wellness. Joan van Wyngaard, founder of Vitant, will speak on hair loss and premature greying.

Saturday 18 April includes presentations on positioning the South African mushroom industry in a rapidly evolving international market, the positive effects of Cylocibin on psychological wellbeing, and a look at "New mushroom tech". Included in the speaker line-up is Dr Adriaan Smit, representing the South African Gourmet Mushroom Academy. His presentation is titled "From Local Potential to Global Context: Positioning the South African Mushroom Industry in a Rapidly Evolving International Market". Tony Budden, CEO at Psylabs, will share his thoughts on the positive effects of Cylocibin on physchological wellbeing.

These sessions will be followed by a high-value panel on funding and export readiness. The panel comprises Thiru Naidoo - Senior Trade Promotion Manager - Middle East and Asia at Wesgro, as well as Joseph Senona - Chief Director, Export Marketing at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) and Alex T Qunta - Acting Head of Department, Business Development Support Division: Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA), sharing practical guidance for businesses looking to grow beyond South Africa's borders.

Masibonge Silevu, Director of Agri-processing for the Eastern Cape's Department of Economic Affairs and Tourism, will provide an in-depth look at the region's agri-processing sector.

Agnes Hove - Agribusiness Strategist at Kijani Blue AgriBusiness, will present on BotaniTrace AI, a tool mapping Africa's botanical value chains for transparency, sustainability and global market access. This will be followed by the "Sensory Feast Experience - A sensory Celebration of Local Bounty" by Nicholas McLean - Somatic Food Facilitator and founder of FeedMeGreen.

Wellness, Innovation, and Sensory Experience

Sunday 19 April shifts toward consumer wellness and sustainability.

Melanie Erasmus of HealthStack will present "From Overwhelmed to Empowered" in which she shares her personal journey through biohacking her health. Juliet Bowley-Urquhart, founder of ESQ Skincare, will then present "The Barrier Blueprint: Simple Tweaks for Resilient Skin."

Sandra Ventzke and Bernhard Lembeck of ProNature will close the afternoon with "Green is not just a colour - A closer look into natural building materials." Each of the final two days concludes with the Sensory Feast Experience.

Warren Hickinbotham, co-founder of the event, says the 2026 programme reflects the growing sophistication of the sector. "Conversations on the show floor are shaping the future of how Africa grows, processes, and sells natural products. We have built a programme that meets our audience where they are and takes them further."

He adds that the breadth of this year's speakers relates to the expo's expanding reach. "From government trade bodies to AI innovators to wellness practitioners, the range of expertise on our stage this year is extraordinary. This is what happens when an industry matures and starts asking deeper questions."

Exhibitor sales are now closed, with the show being 100% sold out – showing strong demand from a rapidly expanding exhibitor base.

Attendance of the conference is free for exhibition attendees.

Full details are available at organicandnaturalportal.com/expo.