What We Do: Our Four Core Pillars
Pillar 1
BioTrade Commodity Broking
Ethically sourced natural materials, traded with integrity from community to market at true value.
Kanakisa’s BioTrade Commodity Broking pillar focuses on the ethical sourcing and trade of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and organically cultivated plants, supplied through a combination of community-based wild harvesting and smallholder farming systems.
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Working across regions in Zimbabwe, Kanakisa trades a diverse portfolio of raw materials—including oils, seeds, powders, butters, and dried botanicals—destined for nutraceutical, personal care, and formulation use. Each product is supported by transparent product specifications, clear origin data, seasonal availability information, and defined minimum order quantities, enabling manufacturers, formulators, and distributors to make informed sourcing decisions.
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Our approach prioritises community verification, traceability, and certification-in-progress pathways, recognising both the authenticity of indigenous sourcing systems and the requirements of global markets. By bridging traditional knowledge systems with contemporary compliance and documentation standards, Kanakisa ensures that value is preserved at origin while meeting commercial and industrial needs.
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This pillar exists to ensure that ethical sourcing is not aspirational, but operational—benefiting ecosystems, communities, and partners across the value chain.
Pillar 2
Bio Trade Manufacturing
Small-batch and pilot-scale manufacturing rooted in heritage, science, and care.
Kanakisa’s BioTrade Manufacturing pillar supports the responsible processing and transformation of natural raw materials into high-quality personal care and nutraceutical products. Operating through a hybrid processing model, Kanakisa offers pilot-scale and small-batch manufacturing designed to protect ingredient integrity while remaining flexible, responsive, and scalable.
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This pillar supports private label and white label manufacturing, as well as Kanakisa’s own product development, with a focus on oils, superfoods, and wellness formulations. Processing protocols are informed by both indigenous preparation methods and modern quality assurance practices, with internal QA systems already in place and external standards and certifications currently in progress.
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Kanakisa’s manufacturing philosophy values precision without excess, prioritising ingredient transparency, ethical sourcing, and functional performance over mass production. By working at appropriate scale, we ensure consistency, traceability, and alignment with sustainability principles—while enabling partners to innovate responsibly.
Pillar 3
Bio Trade Retail
Wellness you can trace, understand, and feel part of.
Kanakisa’s BioTrade Retail pillar is the most visible expression of our values, translating complex sourcing systems and indigenous knowledge into accessible, thoughtfully crafted wellness products for individual consumers.
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Our retail range spans oils, skincare, haircare, and superfoods, with bestsellers including baobab, ximenia, Kalahari melon seed (KMS), marula, body cream, and hair mask formulations. Every product is developed without parabens, synthetic fragrances, or animal testing, and is positioned to support holistic wellbeing rather than superficial outcomes.
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Retail at Kanakisa is intentionally educational and participatory. Customers are invited to understand where products come from, how they are made, and how they fit into broader wellness practices. Through storytelling, sampling, and transparent communication, we aim to foster feelings of connection, empowerment, and curiosity—encouraging customers to engage not just as buyers, but as informed participants in the value chain.
Pillar 4
Living Systems & Community Impact
Building living systems where communities, ecosystems, and markets thrive together.
Kanakisa’s Living Systems & Community Impact pillar reflects our role as a social enterprise committed to long-term, systemic change. This pillar focuses on building resilient partnerships with rural communities across Zimbabwe, grounded in dignity, co-creation, and respect for indigenous knowledge systems.
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Our work spans community engagement, capacity building, ethical governance, and benefit-sharing models that ensure communities are not merely suppliers, but active partners in value creation. Activities include skills transfer, sustainable harvesting practices, income diversification, and the progressive formalisation of community partnerships through cooperatives and transparent agreements.
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While governance frameworks, certifications, and reporting structures are still in progress, Kanakisa remains deeply committed to embedding accountability, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility into every layer of the business. This pillar ensures that growth is not extractive, but regenerative—creating ecosystems of trust, opportunity, and shared prosperity.
