Blue Earth Capital (“BlueEarth”), a global specialist impact investor, today announces a $ 25 million private credit commitment to Robust International (“Robust”), a leading global processor and exporter of agricultural commodities focused on cashew and sesame seeds. The investment, in which BlueEarth’s investment vehicles participated alongside co-investors AHL Venture Partners and Ceniarth, marks BlueEarth’s third sustainability-linked loan and will help Robust improve its in-country sourcing capabilities, increase value-addition processing capabilities in Nigeria, and support sustainable growth for smallholder farmers.
Agriculture remains central to the African continent, with the agricultural economy employing around 70% of Africa’s labor force and typically accounting for 30 to 40% of GDP.15 Agricultural production in Africa is typically concentrated within upstream activities (such as growing, cultivating, and harvesting crops), with limited operations that can capture value that is being added further down in the supply chain. While Africa is the world’s largest supplier of raw cashew nuts and sesame seeds, a large share of these outputs is shipped to Asia for processing before reaching their end markets.
Robust sources and processes agricultural commodities such as cashews and sesame seeds across West Africa and plays a critical role in supporting smallholder farmers across the continent. By sourcing from cooperatives, aggregators and directly from farmers, Robust helps smallholders improve their income. By investing in local processing facilities, Robust supports the creation of jobs and allows local businesses to capture value from additional segments of the supply chain. Processing the products closer to the source also helps reduce fuel consumption and thus brings down the overall footprint of the end products.
These factors, combined with the sustainability and impact-linked characteristics of the facility, work to ensure full alignment with BlueEarth’s dual mission of generating compelling social and environmental impact alongside financial returns.
Amy Wang, Head of Private Credit at BlueEarth, commented: “This investment in Robust reflects our commitment to sustainable agribusinesses that can deliver both commercial results and positive impact. By expanding Robust’s processing capabilities across West Africa, we help transform local industries, reducing carbon emissions and supporting job creation while meeting the growing global demand for healthy, traceable foods. We are also particularly proud to continue driving forward the practice of linking impact with financial returns through our third sustainability-linked loan.”
Vishanth Narayan, Executive Director of Robust, added: “We are thrilled to partner with Blue Earth Capital and embark on this exciting journey together. This collaboration reflects our shared values and commitment to sustainable growth, operational excellence, and innovation. With this partnership, we aim to unlock new opportunities that will not only enhance our capabilities but also create a meaningful impact across the communities we serve. We look forward to a long and fruitful association that supports our long-term strategic vision.”
Rosanne Whalley, CEO at AHL Venture Partners, stated: “We are excited to partner with Robust as it enters its next phase of growth to strengthen local processing capabilities and drive sustainable impact across Africa. This investment aligns with our Sustainable Food and Agriculture thematic, addressing critical gaps in value capture, market access, and environmental sustainability within the agricultural sector. We are also delighted to partner with some great co-investors.”
Stefan Freeman, Head of Investments for Ceniarth, said: “Ceniarth has built a long-term, trusted partnership with Blue Earth Capital both as an investor in the firm’s funds, as well as an active co-investor through syndications. The partnership allows us to leverage BlueEarth’s scale, expertise, and network to participate in transactions that we would not be able to consider independently. In this case, given our focus on strengthening global agricultural value chains for the ultimate benefit of farmers, we were excited by the chance to join this credit facility for Robust.”