CityBlue Hotels Invests in Farm to Feed to Enhance ESG Credentials

In Sub-Saharan Africa, as much as 50% of crop production may be lost before reaching consumers, largely due to market access issues, especially for imperfect-looking produce.

CityBlue Hotels, Africa's fastest-growing local hotel chain, has acquired an equity position in Farm to Feed, a B2B platform dedicated to sourcing imperfect surplus produce directly from farmers. This strategic investment aims to increase farmers' incomes and combat food loss, bolstering CityBlue's Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) credentials and reinforcing the impact investment focus of its parent company, The Diar Group.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, as much as 50% of crop production may be lost before reaching consumers, largely due to market access issues, especially for imperfect-looking produce. Farm to Feed addresses this problem by connecting farmers with markets for their surplus produce, thereby reducing food waste and improving food security.

"We hope that other businesses will follow our lead and work with Claire and her team in Africa on the pertinent issues of food security, sustainability, and climate change," stated Jameel Verjee, Founder and CEO of CityBlue Hotels, during the Africa Hotel Investment Forum 2024 in Windhoek, Namibia.

Claire van Enk, Founder and CEO of Farm to Feed, highlighted the dual impact of food loss on food security and climate change. "I saw firsthand what farmers were not selling even when markets returned after COVID. It is a huge devastation not only on food security but on the economy too. Food loss has a climate change aspect, with rotting food producing methane, a greenhouse gas that is worse than carbon dioxide."

Farm to Feed's tech-enabled platform, combined with on-the-ground aggregators and transportation using freezer trucks, provides an innovative solution to food sustainability in Kenya. The platform also collects data on the drivers of food loss to enhance farming practices and create a more circular food system.

"Our ESG practices both as CityBlue Hotels and its parent, The Diar Group, will be enhanced by working alongside Farm to Feed," Verjee added. "We hope that other businesses will follow our lead and work with Claire and her team in Africa on the pertinent issues of food security, sustainability, and climate."