The story of TWIGA Sun Fruits® began in 2019, when Kerstin Wolf was working as a volunteer manager for a solar energy company in Uganda. During this work, she recognized the great potential of renewable energies for agricultural production and began to identify possible fields of application and partners. In doing so, she came across Daniel Neyer, who was already working with Makerere University and various Ugandan companies as part of his research at the University of Innsbruck. This contact quickly led to a shared vision: to sustainably improve the living conditions of smallholder farmers in Uganda - through the use of renewable energy and the establishment of fair, local value chains. To put this vision into practice, Kerstin Wolf and Daniel Neyer founded TWIGA Sun Fruits GmbH in 2021. From the outset, the company built on strategic partnerships with a Ugandan solar energy company, Makerere University and a local farmers' cooperative in Kangulumira in eastern Uganda. In September 2021, the Ugandan partner company acquired a plot of land in Kangulumira and built a pineapple processing factory there in 2022 and 2023 - financed entirely from its own funds. At the same time, TWIGA Sun Fruits GmbH and Neyer Brainworks (Daniel Neyer's engineering firm) developed, built and installed a customized solar drying system, which was financed, delivered and successfully installed in 2023 with private funds from Austria. Makerere University provided training for local farmers and future staff and developed a comprehensive hygiene protocol for the farm.

In collaboration with a Ugandan solar company, Makerere University, and a local cooperative, a solar-powered facility for processing organic pineapples was established in Kangulumira between 2022 and 2023. At the same time, TWIGA and Neyer Brainworks developed a custom-designed solar drying system, which was successfully installed in 2023. The implementation was accompanied by training sessions and hygiene protocols provided by Makerere University.

After the start of production, TWIGA assumed operational management due to organizational challenges within the cooperative. The company later supported the establishment of the Kamira Organic Growers Cooperative Society (KOGCS), which was officially registered on December 9, 2024.

TWIGA addresses three key challenges faced by smallholder farmers: high post-harvest losses, limited access to clean energy, and restricted market opportunities. Through a solar-powered processing facility, direct exports to the EU, and fair partnerships with organic farmers, TWIGA creates an integrated “farm-to-fork” solution.

The impact includes CO₂-free processing, fair incomes, the professionalization of value chains, and social projects supporting disadvantaged children. The business model is based on renewable energy (PURE), local production, and the distribution of organic pineapple products in the DACH region.

TWIGA Sun Fruits® is organic certified and holds the Verified Social Enterprise Label.

Today, our partners in the small scale farming cooperative produce approximately 4,800 tons of fresh organic pineapples per year. The majority is sold in the local market with high post-harvest losses and low sales revenues. About 6% of the harvest is processed in small tunnel dryers. The cooperative currently provides 4 processing centers for this purpose and trains selected employees for further processing and packaging. It sells the dried fruit and pays its farmers for the fresh produce and for processing according to the amount sold.

The fruit is dried by direct sunlight in so-called tunnel dryers and protected by plastic tarps. This form of drying not only creates varying and unstable levels of quality but also unpredictable production quantities. In addition, there is a lack of overall capacity for packaging and storage. The cooperative loses up to 40% of its production volume due to quality risks that cannot be controlled with this process. They have to carry these risks on their own.

Our pineapples are planted in small fields. The cooperative uses a strict and sophisticated system of mixed cropping to maintain good soil quality. Beans are planted between the rows of pineapples to enrich the soil with nitrogen. There are also banana perennials, papaya and avocado trees in the fields. The fields cannot be compared to a monoculture plantation. Coffee husks are used as fertilizer.

TWIGA Sun Fruits GmbH is a social enterprise and a member of SENA, the Social Entrepreneur Network Austria.

What does Social Entrepreneurship mean?

Most business activities are focused solely on profit and growth, which often leads to negative consequences for our planet and the people involved in the value chain.

As a social enterprise, our goal is to use entrepreneurial action to generate positive societal impact. We invest in the future, thereby contributing to poverty alleviation in one of the least developed countries in the world.

Together with our local partner All in Trade from the solar sector, we provide the Kangulumira Horticulture smallholder cooperative with a solar-powered processing facility, including technical support and maintenance. This creates qualified local jobs. The cooperative can then produce its valuable organic product with consistent output, minimal production losses, and compliance with international hygiene standards. To maximize value creation in Uganda, the fruits are packaged on-site under protective atmosphere for our customers.

TWIGA Sun Fruits imports the dried fruit to Europe directly, without intermediaries, and sells it through our webstore to socially conscious customers. The cooperative receives a price that doubles their average organic export price.

Revenues from the dried fruit repay our investments in energy supply and production, and we reinvest our profits to further increase social impact.