Africrops!, founded in 2012 by Erika Seifts and plant physiologist Dr. Heinrich Heinrichs, is an agriculture-based business which has managed to create a product from the “miracle plant” Moringa Oleifera, package and present it in international markets. Ali Shakur, U.S. marketing rep for Africops — also based in Berlin — recently sat down with AFKInsider to discuss the company’s founding. In part two of the interview, Shakur tells us why fair trade and ecological cultivation is important to the company and long-term business in Africa.

“Ecological cultivation essentially happens from the processing of the Moringa leaves. The trees grow wild and it’s causing more and more people to become Moringa farmers. So, there is some local business being generated inside of these countries,” he said.

“The main principles for Africrops! is number one, we do not want to ask Africa what it needs. Instead we want to ask Africa what it has that the world needs and provide it to people in the United States and Europe.”