SOL is a key player in the African sesame industry, managing an extensive primary procurement network. Our procurement operations start at the first point of collection, where the sesame seeds are delivered by the farmer or small buying agents in lots weighing just a couple of kilograms. Complete control over every step of the process, has allowed us to add value through the introduction of effective quality management systems, which assures our customers of a high quality sesame seed in their factories, improving their processing yields.
We have recently integrated further along the value chain by investing in hulling facilities and producing table grade hulled sesame seed. The majority of sesame that we supply is primarily used in the crushing industry, in which Japan is the largest importer and our principal market. We are expanding our origin base to include Sudan, India and Myanmar with the objective of adding to our portfolio the white and hulled sesame from India and Sudan. This would leave us uniquely positioned in terms of being physically present in most major origins across Africa and Asia.
Our Strengths
- With our network of buying units and agents, which number over one hundred in the large operations, we are able to aggregate the supplies into sizable quantities.
- Significant investments in infrastructure including warehouses and cleaning machines, ensure that we manage the entire chain of operations from collection, storage and processing through to packing, transportation and shipping.