Papua New Guinea

The GRAFT Challenge PNG is seeking AgriTech solutions to unlock global innovation potential for PNG’s cocoa industry

Having supported >50 global AgriTech innovators ‘land and launch’ to solve challenges in Australia, India, and Vietnam, Beanstalk and MDF have together launched GRAFT to support farmers and enterprises across the agricultural
value chain in PNG.

What is GRAFT Challenge PNG?

GRAFT PNG is purpose-built to enable local value chain leaders to solve their most pressing challenges by leveraging the best of the global innovation ecosystem

1. It is the first challenge-led AgriTech initiative in Papua New Guinea 

2. It aims to build visibility and partnerships for PNG agribusinesses to the global innovation ecosystem, with a focus on intensively planned and supported tech trials 

3. It builds the case and roadmap for AgTech innovators across the world to grow in(to) PNG's agriculture sector 

We are delighted to announce the inaugural challenge cohort who have demonstrated exemplary solutions to the three challenges presented.

BMHTransmotion

  • BMHTransmotion has extensive experience in bespoke engineering and design across bulk material handling industries and working with an expansive array of materials and applications enables them to deliver the most efficient, cost-effective, and technologically advanced systems.

    We are thrilled to be working with founder Ravindra Dekate and learning from his vast experience in visualise the need and scope of development in bulk material handling and implementing it with the latest technology.

    Their solution to the challenges outlined for GRAFT Challenge PNG offers a fit-for-purpose, biomass-powered drying facility filtering smoke through a cyclonic scrubbing system.

GrainPro

  • Founded in Massachusetts in 1992, GrainPro is a world-leading innovator in developing and providing hermetic post-harvest solutions for storing, drying, and transporting dry agricultural commodities. GrainPro has been committed to creating solutions that support sustainable organic trade, preserve food quality, and promote climate-smart agriculture.

    The company is headquartered in Washington D.C., USA with a global support and production office in Subic Bay, Philippines, and has since grown to have numerous partnerships in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

    The Philippines office will be leading the charge as a cohort member for GRAFT Challenge PNG and we look forward to working with Allan Quintos, Rojoan Gabriel- Limbag and Maria Theresa Enriquez, on their hermetic, solar-powered bubble drying system adapted to wet cocoa beans.

On The Ball Consulting

  • On the Ball Consulting is led by Founder and CEO MarcDonaldon who is based in Switzerland. Marc has deep experience in the growing of premium cacao, and the processing of cacao beans into nibs, liquor, butter, and powder. He also has extensive expertise in the processing of high-quality premium chocolate, recipe development, and innovation. Marc has worked in sustainable cocoa, and farmer development. the sourcing, and marketing of cocoa and chocolate products for over 38 years, 23 of which have been in Asia.

    We look forward to working with Marc on his tried-and-tested combination of the carefully managed heat cycle, smoke-free drying facilities, and holistic management process to ensure smoke eradication without sacrificing full fermented quality.

Siddhivinayak Agri Processing Pvt Ltd

  • Siddhivinayak Agri Processing Pvt Ltd. has been a disruptive player in the Food / Food Processing ecosystem since it was established in 2008. From producing high quality and innovative variety of seeds to providing storage & supply solutions to engineering best-in-class processing technologies, SAPPL is a player well known globally as ‘Seed to Plate’ solution provider. SV AGRI has to date impacted >10,000 farmers in India, and is aiming to replicate its success for the benefit of agri value chains in PNG.

    The SvAgri team Anshul Kohli, Vinay Jyani and, Pallavi Thorat will be working with the GRAFT Challenge PNG cohort on an economical smoke-free drying process leveraging dual solar radiation plates and biomass-generated heat.

AgTech Innovator: Maliupa Korul

  • AgTech innovator Maliupa Korul has been working for some time to re-engineer the conventional kiln-fired dryer by producing a unique technological approach to combat both ‘direct’ and ‘indirect’ smoke contamination through renewable power - addressing several unique challenges posed by the GRAFT challenge in a single dryer concept!

    Maliupa is passionate about bridging global technology gaps and making sure that agriculture technology is economically and technically reliable and user-friendly to small-scale farmers in PNG and abroad.

Our Partners

Delivery Partners

Network Partners

Industry Partners

The Challenges

GRAFT will help to identify and fast-track high-potential solutions to tackle the challenge of smoke taint across the supply chain, including deployment of 3+ technical trials by Q1 2023.

As chocolate makers around the world continue to promote and elevate standards of quality and sustainability, many critical trade partners for PNG's cocoa market have signaled their intention to procure entirely 'smoke taint free' in years to come.

To maintain and expand access to markets, PNG farmers and value chains will need to accelerate the identification and adoption of new technologies & practices to eliminate - or better manage - smoke taint in cocoa. Alternative sources of heat present one opportunity, but have yet to fit the unique operating environment and challenges of PNG's smallholder value chains to date.

Your solution should solve one of three following industry challenges:

Improve the viability of wood-fire alternative heat generation to power community-scale driers​.

Challenge Partner:

Challenge 1

    • Reliance on wood-fired driers (>99%) leaves cocoa exposed to a high risk of 'smoke taint' - a major market issue for PNG cocoa​.

    • Existing infrastructure and lack of liquidity limit the ability of fermenteries to invest in alternatives.

    • Environmental factors make sun & solar dry – widely used in the world's major cocoa growing regions – oft ill-suited and ineffective in PNG​.

    • Rural access to reliable energy for productive use is very limited – the current electricity grid extends to only ~13% of PNG's population​

  • A solution to this challenge will contribute both to long-term marketability, quality, and price premiums for PNG cocoa and to energy security across rural communities​.

    • Sufficient power & capability to consistently dry cocoa to spec in 1-2 days, rain or shine​.

    • Cost-competitive at ‘community-scale’ (typically 200-500 farmers)​.

    • Appropriately durable and low maintenance​.

  • PNG Agriculture Company is a PNG-based cocoa trading organization that is 100% owned by >1,000 small family farmers. Established in 2019, PNG AC is heavily invested in boosting output, quality, and incomes for its membership and the base of family farms in PNG through professionalizing of farming and business practices.​

    • Leakage from corroded pipes is the most direct pathway to smoke contamination – a major market issue for PNG cocoa​.

    • Traditional pipes last only 1-2 years before corroding and requiring replacement​.

    • Repair costs are a major pain point for small fermenteries, and the cost-return ratio of high-cost alternatives (i.e., stainless steel) is questionable​.

    • Of the 10,000+ drier facilities certified / in use across PNG today, >99% are conventional wood-fired facilities – this won’t change overnight​.

    • A solution to this challenge will contribute both to the long-term marketability of PNG cocoa and to smallholders’ savings & investment capacity​.

    • A solution that can be taken up by small-scale, community-level fermentery owners themselves​.

    • Direct reduction in frequency and/or cost of pipe repairs, with minimal added inputs & complexity​.

    • Ability to leverage local materials, capabilities, and supply chains​.

  • Paradise Foods Ltd is the industry partner sponsoring this challenge. They own and operate PNG’s first and only chocolate maker, Queen Emma’s Chocolates, which sources from >2,000 cocoa farmers across PNG. They are well-acquainted with the challenges of drier repair and maintenance, having operated for several years a private trust to support small-scale fermentery owners to maintain their facilities.​

Reduce the cost of repair & maintenance for kiln & flue pipes in conventional small-scale cocoa.

Challenge Partner:

Challenge 2

Preserve cocoa quality by reducing wet beans’ exposure to ‘indirect’ smoke contamination​.

Challenge Partner:

Challenge 3

    • Smoke taint (contamination) during storage, fermentation, and drying is a major market access and reputation issue for PNG cocoa​.

    • While a key driver of exposure is the density of poorly-maintained wood-fired driers, at least as pernicious is the ‘indirect’ smoke – from home cooking, rubbish burning, etc. – that spills over wet beans across stages of processing​.

    • As such, even ‘sun dried’ beans risk smoke taint​

    • A solution to this challenge will contribute to long-term marketability, quality, and price premiums for exported cocoa from PNG.

    • A solution to this challenge will increase both feasibility and returns to sun dry and other alternatives to wood-fired ovens​

    • Full and consistent protection for wet beans against smoke contamination, across the processing.​

    • Cost-competitive to deploy for as little as ~1MT dry beans at a time.

    • Appropriately durable and low maintenance​

  • Outspan, a subsidiary of Olam Food Ingredients, is a leading exporter of PNG cocoa and coffee. Since 2000, Outspan has been investing in building long-term partnerships with cocoa and coffee farmers in all producing regions. Outspan is a recognized provider of fair prices, training on crop rehabilitation and block management, and supporting access to global markets. Outspan has been working closely with confectionary ingredient specialist Puratos to provide smoke-taint-free cocoa in PNG to serve premium market demand, generating a premium return for growers.​

An open innovation initiative helping Papua New Guinea
cocoa industry solve its most challenges

Key Program Stages

Define Challenge

July - October ‘22

  • Establish industry and knowledge partners to bring challenge focus and depth

  • Undertake challenge diligence clearly parameterise

  • Clearly defined headline challenge and associate sub-challenges to inform campaign and outreach

Source Solutions

November ‘22 - April ‘23

  • Develop campaign for region-wide launch

  • Virtual showcases with industry partners to drive heightened challenge awareness

  • Solution diligence from all applications

  • Selection and public announcement of selected providers for commercial trial

Commercial Trials

May - August ‘23

  • Doing business in PNG bootcamp and workshops

  • Mentor and advisor matching to be supporting each solution provider over the course of in-market engagement and trial design

  • Trial design workshop and pathway to commercial partnership

  • Continued monitoring and evaluation

Why participate in the GRAFT program?

Learn more about the success of the GRAFT Vietnam Challenge from our partners and cohort

Application Timeline

Steering Committee

Cal Archibald

Director, Beanstalk AgTech

  • Cal has a background in business and has extended this to deep expertise in agriculture based social enterprise. He found his passion working across community agriculture projects across Southeast Asia through an organisation he founded at the age of 21, Upside Nepal.

    As a passionate advocate for 'tech-for good', Cal was also previously the Australian Community Manager of Random Hacks of Kindness. A not-for-profit organisation that coordinates a community of 1,000 technologists to solve challenges for charities through a hackathon model.

Betty Camilus

Business Adviser, Market Development Facility 

  • Betty has a background in international development with experience in contracting and is currently managing business development programs in the agriculture sector focusing on high-export value commodities, specifically coffee. Key activities in this role include partnership intervention management, stakeholder engagement, and networking, identifying business challenges and creating value-adding opportunities for businesses to succeed as well as contributing to meeting the needs of actors, especially rural farmers in the agriculture value chain. Passionate to serve the rural and disadvantaged, taking up challenges in looking for new innovative ways to address pressing issues and creating positive outcomes.

Victor Ganguly

Business Manager, Outspan PNG (Olam Food Ingredients)​

  • Presently, Victor is managing and handling the Cocoa business for Outspan PNG Ltd and is directly responsible for the profitability of the business. Outspan is the leading Cocoa exporter out of PNG and is part ofi, which itself is one of the biggest processors of Cocoa in the world.

    Before PNG, Victor has been working in Agri sector in West Africa. He was the Commercial Manager in Ghana handling Cashew business whereas in Nigeria he handled the Cotton, Soyabean and Maize business.

    He has an MBA (Finance) from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, one of the top B –Schools in India. Also he completed a Summer School in Strasbourg School of Business

    He is also a graduate of Marine Engineering and holds a degree in BS from the prestigious institute of BITS Pilani. He has worked with several shipping companies as a Marine Engineer Officer and holds MEO Class IV Licence from Govt of India. He specializes in Oil Tankers and Product Carrier.

Brad Jackson

CEO, PNG Agriculture Company

  • Brad is a community development specialist with over 3 decades of experience assisting Indigenous communities throughout Australia and the Asia-Pacific to build their local economies.

    Brad takes people on a journey to identify markets, and to change the way of business so that more money finds its way into the pockets of local people. His methodology develops business and financial skills as part of a working system to ensure those new skills transform into ongoing behaviour; it contributes to improving the overall enabling environment for businesses to operate and attract the necessary capital to grow and scale and positively impact many more people, and it guides the overall process to ensure it remains relevant to local people and the markets being served.

Priscilla Kevin

Co-founder, PNG Digital ICT Cluster Inc

  • Priscilla is an IT professional and entrepreneur specialising in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Support Advisory. She has over 15 years ICT industry experience providing ICT consultancy and support to a range of businesses as well as government bodies.

    Priscilla is co-founder and board member of PNG Digital ICT Cluster Inc., PNG Women in STEM, and a member of the PNG University of Technology’s Industrial Advisory Board (IAB). Ms. Kevin is a working group committee member of the Centre of Excellence for Financial Inclusion and is a Council Member of the Institute of National Affairs (INA).

Karina Makori

General Manager Chocolate, Paradise Foods Limited

  • Karina is General Manager Chocolate at Paradise Foods Limited. Being the first commercial chocolate producer in the country her team set up an entire cocoa processing and chocolate-making plant which has grown from processing 10 tons of cocoa annually to 200 tons and growing. The company currently sources naturally organic cocoa beans from over 2000 farmers around the country and contributes towards the livelihood of hundreds of others along the cocoa value chain. Having access to high-quality cocoa beans is critical to Queen Emma chocolate’s success. The plant has recently achieved HACCP certification and is working towards FSSC 2200, Halal and Kosher.

    Karina is a member of the Paradise Foods Executive Leadership team and has been with the company for 20 years. She is actively involved with providing mentoring for interns and junior managers within the business.

Hemendra Mathur

Co-founder, ThinkAg

  • Hemendra has over 25 years of experience in venture capital, private equity, management consulting, and investment banking.

    Hemendra in his career has invested in several early-stage agritech and mid-sized companies in the agricultural supply chain. He is an investor, board member, and adviser in many foods and agritech start-ups.

    He is currently working as Venture Partner with Bharat Innovation Fund –investing in early-stage deep-tech start-ups across sectors. Hemendra is the co-founder of ThinkAg – a platform for accelerating the adoption of innovations in the agriculture space. He is the Chairman of FICCI Task Force on Agri Start-ups. He is also an advisor to a few Foundations, Multilaterals, Corporates, and Funds with an interest in investing the tech startups in India.

    He has authored many papers on the subject and speaks regularly at conferences pertaining to the food and agribusiness sector as well as start-up ecosystem. He is a management graduate from IIM (Ahmedabad) and Agricultural Engineer from Rajasthan Agricultural University.

Martha J. Raka

Social Entrepreneur and Founder of Sere J Pacific

  • Martha is a social entrepreneur and founder of Sere J Pacific a social enterprise that is dedicated to unleashing the potential for cooperative societies in Pa- pua New Guinea. She works with smallholder farmers who cannot help themselves become better farmers by building their capacity to use better production and management practices, facilitating investment in farm productivity and infrastructures, improving the quality of existing services, and establishing new ones. Martha graduated with a Certificate IV in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation in 2018 in Australia from the University of Sunshine Coast, Centre for International Development, Social, Entrepreneur, and Leadership (USC-CIDSEL). Currently Sere J Pacific is running a campaign to use rural women as solutions to climate change.

    Since its inception in 2017, Sere J Pacific formed four cooperative societies in Morobe Province consisting of 500 farmers in total, 165 are women. Two cooperatives has all women as board members. In 2021 after COVID19, she donated 15,000 cocoa seedlings, built 10,000 cocoa nursery capacity, refurbished two fermentaries, and connected almost 100 cocoa dry bean bags to the market. Sere J Pacific aim is to foster an enterprise-driven transformation and increase the productivity and profitability of cooperatives in PNG.

Peter van Grinsven  

Managing Director, Bright Life Farming Pty Ltd

  • Peter is a Senior Agricultural Value Chain Expert with 37 years of experience in various tropical agricultural value chains. His experience and passions are in the transformation of monoculture farms to agroforestry systems that deliver higher economic and environmental benefits than the existing farms, including building the asset value of a farm, improving farmer adoption of recommended interventions through leveraging Behavioural Economics – in order to understand farmers’ concerns and aspirations to identify bottlenecks and incentives, and build confidence, motivation, and competences for farmers and families and embedding innovative Service Delivery Mechanisms as economically viable and efficient ways of working in companies’ value chains.

    Peter was previously a Commercial and Sustainability Director with Mars Incorporated, before founding Bright Life Farming Pte. Ltd in 2018.

Application Pitch
Deck Guidelines

Use these guidelines to assist in designing and building your
application and providing as much relevant information as you can.

“A structured process for defining our technology priorities and a tested process for assessing a number of different technologies before we invest is exactly what we need at this point in our innovation journey at UPL”​

Marcus Agnew - Chief of Staff to CEO, UPL
(Industry Partner, GRAFT Challenge India 2019)​

Partner With Us

Industry Partners

Agribusinesses and other organisation’s across the agricultural value chain with a clear challenge they'd like to see solved.

    • Raise the profile of challenges you know need solving

    • Scout and nominate promising solutions

    • Trial technology, troubleshoot and fast-track development for game-changing solutions

    • Get leverage from industry partners, experts, and international institutions

    • Build your open innovation muscle, with focus on outcome-oriented start-up engagement

    • Add to your reputation as an innovation driver within the agrifood industry

    • Actively participate in industry group focused on challenge discovery

    • Activate your marketing and comms efforts to broadcast the challenge

    • Participate in virtual showcases and activations to raise awareness around the challenge

    • Reviewing solutions and helping with selection

    • Participate in trial design workshops

    • Deploy pilot trials to validate technical feasibility and solution viability

Knowledge Partners

Industry experts, technology transfer specialists, business support service providers, and other individuals who could benefit from the GRAFT network of agribusinesses and start-up solution providers.

    • Build commercial and advisory relationships with industry, public sector, and startup solution providers

    • Expand your network through access to the GRAFT network of industry, knowledge, and startup solution provider partners across the region

    • Elevate your brand by associating with high-profile and impact-led innovations transforming smallholder value chains

    • Help to validate and further qualify critical industry challenges

    • Provide technical and/or commercial advisory services to startup solution providers & our industry partners – ranging from market intelligence to trial management and technical partnerships

    • Engage with the GRAFT community of advisory partners to extend reach and relevance of expertise and capabilities

Challenge Catalysts

Donor & philanthropic partners aiming to positively impact smallholder value chains through the development of a positively impactful, collaborative, and globally-connected innovation ecosystem.

    • Contribute to driving lasting impact for smallholder value chains

    • Build relationships with other industry and public sector leaders

    • Enrich partnerships by deepening your involvement and credentials with local agricultural businesses and join the global agricultural technology network

    • Elevate brand impact by associating with impact-led innovations that transform smallholder value chains

    • Commit catalytic seed funding to leverage co-investment by Industry Partners

    • Assist in identifying and validating high-level challenges

    • Help to make warm introductions to relevant stakeholders that may be important to defining the challenge, solution outreach and trial implementation

    • Engage with the GRAFT virtual showcases and activations to help mobilise industry engagement and reach

Launch Video

Launching open innovation to solve Papua New Guinea’s most pressing agrifood challenges

Beanstalk is an innovation agency dedicated to unleashing the potential for agriculture to be the leading force for good. We exist to support corporations, start-up innovators, investors, and government bodies across the Indo-Pacific to advance sustainable, ethical, and responsible food systems. Our team consists of agriculture, innovation, strategy, and operation experts based out of Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, and Singapore. 

Beanstalk’s core competency is in helping our clients to navigate and adopt leading practices and technologies, with purpose and clarity. Our advantage lies at the intersection of our deep domain expertise, our open innovation mindset, and our regional and global networks. We leverage our agricultural industry experience and global network to scout, trial and scale solutions for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow, today. We're not just about writing reports, we're about getting stuff done - rolling up our sleeves for commercial impact. 

Market Development Facility is an Australian Government funded multi-country initiative which promotes sustainable economic development, through higher incomes for women and men, in our partner countries.  

We connect individuals, businesses, governments and NGOs with each other, and with markets at home and abroad. This enhances investment and coordination and allows partnerships to flourish, strengthening inclusive economic growth.  

In each country of operation, MDF has a portfolio of interventions that support private sector businesses on different aspects such as access to technical advisory services, selective infrastructure support, marketing and promotion, and regulatory reform.  

MDF is funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) and is  implemented by Palladium in partnership with Swisscontact. 

Join Us

Are you an agribusiness looking for innovations to transform your business in Papua New Guinea? 

Or perhaps you are a venture capital investor looking for unique deal flow and insights into established and scalable AgriTech innovators? 

Join us as we find solutions to solve Papua New Guinea’s most pressing challenges in agriculture and provide leading agribusiness companies visibility into innovations transforming the agrifood industry across Papua New Guinea in the GRAFT Challenge 2022. 

Justin Ahmed

Phoebe Norman

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