- Brother Calvin’s background and why Ghana: Retired U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant and former U.S. federal GS-11 project manager; after living in other tropical countries, he visited Ghana in 2019, felt “at home,” moved, improved his health dramatically, and committed to doing work that benefits both his family and Ghana.
- The business case for moringa + snails: He frames moringa as a multi-billion-dollar global market with supply shortages, and highlights high-value add-ons like moringa oil and snail mucin/slime (cosmetics + medical/military applications), stressing that Ghana can produce locally what it currently imports and keep the wealth in-country.
- Operational strategy and scaling plan: He’s building for year-round productivity (multiple boreholes, a large water pond, planned drip irrigation, organic inputs like rabbit manure, neem oil), running interim cash crops (okra, peppers, cantaloupe), and focusing long-term on large-scale moringa production, processing, and export—emphasizing certification, machinery investment, and wholesale contracts.
- Workforce, ethics, and community impact: He pays and treats workers well (housing, meals, gear, cleanliness standards), aims to expand jobs (19 employees now → ~50+), and ties the enterprise to social outcomes—especially plans for an agriculture school and a maternal/newborn hospital, plus using moringa to improve nutrition for children and vulnerable communities.
- Core lessons and mindset message: Repeated emphasis on planning (budgets, infrastructure, timelines, spreadsheets), safeguards against theft/scams, and realistic expectations for newcomers (don’t quit your job and “wing it”); he pushes collaboration over greed, calls for coordinated pricing/industry organization, and encourages diaspora + local partnership to build a serious moringa ecosystem in Ghana.
