Koppert Cress a new way of growing and marketing Update on the projectSupplying for the high-end market in the Netherlands turned out to be a challenge. Although the partners looked for other buyers in a different market segment the scale of the project remained modest. With a net positive result and a growing market potential this project has the potential to scale-up when the market not only embraces the idea, but actually starts buying.DescriptionThe project partners, Koppert Cress B.V. from Monster, the Netherlands and The African Herb Company Ltd., based in Nanyuki, Kenya, plan to set up a joint venture that will supply fresh herbal teas to the high end restaurant market in Europe. Koppert Cress is a horticultural company supplying the world's most renowned restaurants with cresses and micro sized vegetables. The African Herb Company, started up in 2010, currently produces fresh mint and rosemary for the European market. The export of fresh herbal tea (technically not tea but an infusion) is a new product for Kenya. Each serving of a combination of herbs will provide information on the workers that plucked and assembled the herbs, and provide information on the life and living conditions of individual employees through a mobile phone application. Therefore, a number of professional videos will be made at the project site in Nanyuki. These serve to make the customer aware of the origin of the product. This will also be part of the 'pull marketing' strategy that the applicant always uses when introducing new products. The joint venture will also produce a number of 'micro vegetables'. These are trademarked products of Koppert Cress such as Pepquino, Cressabi and an edible type of orchid. Currently, the applicant is unable to produce these vegetables year round. Producing in Kenya will change that. The project partners will gain Fair Trade Certification. There will be a tree planting programme at the estate to compensate for CO2 emissions. ISO 26000 standards will be incorporated in order to link up with the business operations of Koppert Cress.Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)CSR is considered very important for this project by the partners. The subject will be used extensively in the related marketing campaign.The marketing of the product will involve the makers of the product i.e. the workers on the farm. The product will be certified socially as well as organically. Also care for the environment is an important issue for the partners.The wife of one of the owners of the local company is a wildlife conservationist. She is very much involved in getting the unused part of their land back into the forested area that it once was. In recent times trees were chopped down for the production of charcoal and the land was degraded due to intensive goat grazing. She has set up a conservation management plan for their estate. The tree planting programme in order to compensate for CO2 emissions during transport will be a stimulus for this plan.The project creates almost a 100 full-time jobs in a region with limited job opportunities. By doing this the partners are reducing the region's dependence on food aid.Impact•	Employment and working conditionsWorkers will receive extensive on the job training on biological control and safe handling. More advanced trainings will be about insect monitoring, diseases, propagation, hygiene, use of biological pest control. The small-sized bundles of herbs is a new product that must be handled with care. The local partner compares it with the early stages of fresh flower growing in Kenya, when it took a lot of effort to convince employees on the necessity of careful treatment of flowers. The joint venture will also provide training on a number of social issues such as women's sexual health, family planning and healthy nutrition. The partners consider these trainings as essential for maintaining a good relationship with the workers and the larger community. They also believe it will help to break the continued reliance on food aid. The joint venture will pay living wages.•	Innovation / Transfer of knowledgeSome of the herbs, such as mint, are currently available from Kenya, e.g. from the local partner. New is the combination of products and the way that they are packaged as a labelled product instead of being sold off as a commodity product. Fair Trade and food quality certification are also new for these products in Kenya. Most producers of fresh mint do not have access to the supermarket channels in Europe because of a lack of quality certifications.•	Chain effectsImpact on local suppliersBecause of the demanded high standards on MRLs and traceability of the partners do not see an opportunity in the short term to work with outgrowers. The applicant does not want their product to be produced by anyone other than exclusively contracted parties.Impact on local customers or consumersThe project has no impact on this group, as all of the production will be exported.•	EnvironmentAn Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be part of the project. The owners of the local partner are strongly conservation minded. The new irrigation dam will improve the availability of water and therefore the survival chances of wildlife in the region.•	Position of women90% of the new employees will be female.•	Impact on food safetyThe projected area is currently not in use for food production.•	Impact on waterThe projected irrigation dam serves to retain rain water that otherwise passes by the locality. An Environmental Impact Analysis will be part of the first project result. The project partners plan to make this water available to the local community by building a pipeline to a location outside the fence. The goal of the project is to produce and market 90,000 kg annually of Fresh Herbal Tea and to produce year round 5,000 kg of micro vegetables.