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 Donor Funding
Marula Natural Products (Pty) Ltd. is the successful commercialisation of an NGO project. As the company develops it will remain true to its roots in social development and sustainable environmental practise. While important, these practises can be costly for a growing company, and funding is welcomed to help us maintain our community focus.
Exciting opportunities exist for the extension of our community based harvesting projects, as well as in the area of research and development.
Partnerships with Marula Natural Products (Pty) Ltd. are invited in the following areas:
• Donor Funding for
- Regional expansion of community upliftment projects
- Personnel training for extension programs
- Homestead Planting/Nursery project funding
- Sustainability and ecological studies
- Legal protection project (Marula Natural Products needs legislation to protect its intellectual properties and prevent larger companies coming in and doing things faster and bigger.)
- Scientific research into properties of marula fruit and seed oil
Donor assistance especially includes the following specific projects:
• Community Trust projects:
A local Community Trust has been established to ensure a percentage of MNP’s profits go directly back to the community. The Board of Trustees (see news article) who all come from the community have identified village needs such as schools, adult literacy, clinics, halls and transport projects. Funding is required to assist the Trust in establishing the appropriate channels and institutions to implement these projects.
• Environmental Practises Education
Funding for education of extension workers and local rural committees is critical to ensure that marula trees continue to be appropriately and sustainably harvested.
The environmentally beneficial aspect of the MNP’s activities must be maintained. The company needs to continually update its information base and to ensure that the knowledge is passed along to the 2400 women in widely scattered and remote communities, many of which lack modern communication facilities.
• Marula Scientific Testing
MNP is one of the most advanced companies in the testing of marula, and works closely with various bodies in this area. Yet there are still many questions about the unique properties of marula. Funding toward more advanced scientific testing under laboratory conditions would greatly assist in fully identifying the properties of marula fruit and oil.
• Capital Expansion
As MNP continues to grow, practises that work in smaller markets become less sustainable. The company is aware that the current fruit pulping capacity will not keep pace with growing demand.
Capital equipment is needed for this expansion, which will in turn allow more women to be included in the harvesting process, and more families will benefit from the marula revenue stream in the future.
For more information on these opportunities, please contact our operations manager on email: mnp@lantic.net.
Commercial investment
 Collaboration is also sought with companies who have expertise in the commercialisation of novel and active cosmetic ingredients and/or food and beverage development. Investment opportunities include:
- Investigation into medicinal properties of roots, bark and leaves.
- Product Development - Extracts for Healthcare and Beauty markets, Oil-based additives for cosmetics, skincare, soaps, perfume synthesis, fruit juices & jellies, sauces, chutney, and konfyt from peel, beverages.
- Simple hand operated tools for home processing of nuts
- Marula manufacturing process design; to refine without losing beneficial properties
- Marula marketing/PR campaigns
Contact our administration regarding opportunities to grow with MNP (Pty) Ltd. at: mnp@lantic.net
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