Rwanda began on a high with SOUK Farms, a Value-added Initiative to Boost Employment (VIBE) programme participant, dispatching its inaugural consignment of Hass avocados to the European Union (EU) on 4 September 2025. Weighing in at 24 tonnes, the shipment travelled from Kigali via the Mombasa–Rotterdam Sea route, marking the company’s transition to full capacity from small-scale pilot trial runs.
This milestone signals that local agribusinesses in Rwanda are ready to compete on international standards of quality, consistency, and scale. It is also a testament on how the VIBE Programme, implemented by TradeMark Africa and the International Trade Centre in partnership with Mastercard Foundation, is unlocking the ambition of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and turning it into world-class competitiveness.
The pathways for breaking into the exports markets are riddled with many challenges. Despite their vast potential, these firms, like other micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), grapple with hurdles that limit their ability to expand into export markets. They often struggle with limited knowledge of export trade dynamics, the high costs of exporting, insufficient production capacity, restricted access to finance, inadequate logistics and shipping solutions, and challenges meeting global standards. The VIBE Programme, which is designed to create dignified job opportunities for women and youth in MSMEs across the horticulture, poultry, meat, and dairy value chains, is partnering with businesses such as Souk Farms to enable them to overcome these barriers and realise their full potential.
Through the VIBE programme, to which Vanguard Economics is one of the implementing partners, SOUK Farms, a home-grown horticultural enterprise, received hands-on assistance in post-harvest handling, logistics, and compliance to ensure they met the stringent standards required in the EU market. The result? A team that is now equipped to make its mark in the competitive export markets.
As Seun Rasheed, CEO of SOUK Farms explained, “Through targeted technical support, we were able to strengthen our compliance systems, improve post-harvest handling, and enhance overall efficiency. This has positioned SOUK Farms to compete credibly and sustainably in the international marketplace.”
Collaboration from Farm to Container
The success also reflects the power of collaboration. Through its own in-house farms and by working closely with cooperatives of more than 1,200 farmers in Kayonza District, in the Eastern Province of Rwanda, SOUK Farms has built resilient supply structures that underpin its exports. By pooling resources, strengthening farmer capacity, and investing in quality improvements across the value chain, this partnership demonstrates how collective action can deliver the scale and reliability that global buyers demand.
Souk Farms is a specialist exporter of avocado, French beans, sugar snaps, snow peas, Tendersterm broccoli, chillis, Karela and passion fruits. The firm has certifications in GlobalGAP, SMETA, British Retail Consortium (BRC) Global Standard for Food Safety, and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and has established export relationships across Europe and the Middle East.
SOUK Farm continues to actively engage with multiple European buyers to secure consistent demand with long-term partnerships. With strong market interest, SOUK Farm projects the potential to ship at least one container of avocados every month throughout Rwanda’s avocado season, which runs until March 2026.