Loveness Bhitoni, a 50-year-old resident of Zimbabwe, has been gathering fruit from the towering baobab trees near her home since childhood. Initially, she only collected these fruits to add variety to her family’s basic diet of corn and millet. However, due to recent challenges, she now views them as a vital source of income.
Climate change has brought severe droughts that have destroyed her crops, leading Bhitoni to seek alternative income sources. The popularity of the baobab fruit, known for its health benefits and drought resilience, has surged globally, transforming it into a sought-after natural food product.
Every morning, Bhitoni rises before dawn to forage for baobab fruits, traversing the hot, thorny terrain—often barefoot and at risk of wildlife encounters. She fills bags with the tough-shelled fruits and sells them either to local food processors or directly to buyers from urban areas.
The baobab trade began in her small town of Kotwa in northeastern Zimbabwe in 2018, previously helping local families cover expenses like school fees and clothing. Now, after the severe drought exacerbated by the El Niño weather pattern, it has become essential for survival.
“We can only afford corn and salt,” Bhitoni shared after a long day of foraging. “Cooking oil feels like a luxury because our earnings simply aren’t enough. Sometimes, I go a month without buying soap, and expenses for school fees or clothes are beyond my reach.”
As the global demand for baobab products continues to rise, rural areas in Africa rich in these trees are emerging as key suppliers. Despite requiring over 20 years to bear fruit—and being foraged, not farmed—tens of thousands of people are now involved in the trade. The African Baobab Alliance estimates that over a million rural African women could gain financially from the fruit’s growing popularity.
The alliance plays a pivotal role in educating locals about food safety and encourages safer harvesting methods, advising them to collect fruits from the ground instead of climbing the massive trees, although many continue to ascend them out of habit or necessity.
Known as the “tree of life” for its exceptional resilience, the baobab is found throughout Africa, from South Africa to Kenya, Sudan, and Senegal. Zimbabwe boasts approximately 5 million of these trees, according to Zimtrade, a government export agency.
Historically, the health benefits of baobab went largely unrecognized outside Africa. Gus Le Breton, an industry pioneer, recalls the lengthy process required to establish baobab as a globally recognized superfood. “Baobab didn’t become a internationally traded superfood by chance,” he remarked, citing years of testing to meet safety regulations in Europe and the U.S.
Baobab powder was finally legalized for import into the U.S. in 2009, just a year after the EU approved it. However, initiating interest in this new food product in Western and Asian markets took considerable effort. “Most people had never heard of it. It was a struggle to introduce it,” Le Breton explained. The proper pronunciation, BAY-uh-bab, was also a challenge for many.
Currently, the U.S. and Europe, alongside China, dominate the baobab powder market. Reports from the Dutch government’s Center for the Promotion of Imports suggest that the global market could reach $10 billion by 2027. Le Breton predicts a 200% increase in demand by 2030, particularly among health-conscious urban Africans.
Major companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi have started introducing products featuring baobab ingredients, with its powder being touted in Europe for its “star qualities.” It is being used to enhance beverages, cereals, yogurt, and snack bars.
The price of baobab products reflects this growth; for instance, a kilogram packet of baobab powder sells for around 27 euros (approximately $30) in Germany, while a 100-milliliter bottle of baobab beauty oil may retail for 25 pounds (about $33) in the United Kingdom.
A processing plant in Zimbabwe showcases the expanding industry as baobab pulp is sorted and bagged, each packet labeled to identify the harvester. The discarded shells are repurposed as biochar, an organic compost additive given free to farmers.
Yet, harvesters like Bhitoni dream of affording the commercial value of the products they help create. She receives only 17 cents for each kilogram (2.2 pounds) of baobab fruit and spends long hours—up to eight—scouring the increasingly barren savanna after nearby trees have been picked clean.
“Even though there’s demand, this year the trees haven’t yielded much, which means sometimes I return without enough to fill a single sack,” Bhitoni said. “I need five sacks just to afford a 10-kilogram (22-pound) bag of cornmeal.”
Some opportunistic buyers in Zimbabwe’s urban markets exploit the desperate circumstances of drought-affected residents, offering cornmeal in exchange for large quantities of cracked fruit. “People are left with no choice because they have nothing,” explained Kingstone Shero, a local councilor. “The buyers dictate the prices, and we can’t resist because of hunger.”
Le Breton is hopeful that rising market demand will eventually translate into better prices for harvesters. “I believe the market has grown significantly, though not explosively. However, it is consistent growth. At some stage, the value will increase, leading to more substantial earnings for the harvesters of this remarkable fruit,” he said.
Zimtrade has expressed concern over the low prices its workers receive and is exploring potential partnerships with women in rural areas to establish processing facilities. The challenging conditions facing fruit pickers, some of whom are children, are expected to persist due to their limited negotiating power, according to development economist Prosper Chitambara.
On a recent harvest day, Bhitoni moved from one baobab tree to another, carefully inspecting the fruits and leaving the smaller ones for animals like baboons and elephants, honoring a traditional practice. “It’s hard work, but when we ask the buyers for better prices, they don’t seem to understand our struggles,” she lamented.
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