value-chains — Topics

Rare pebble-like succulents growing among white quartz stones in South Africa's arid Succulent Karoo.

Agri Finance

The Million-Rand Black Market in South Africa’s Tiny Desert Plants

Tiny plants, international collectors and an extraordinary black market. Inside the economics of South Africa's disappearing desert succulents.

A glass of rooibos tea and rooibos leaves on a table overlooking the Cederberg mountains at sunset.

Agri Finance

The South African Tea That Almost Lost Its Own Name

A $10 trademark, a million-dollar legal battle and an indigenous crop that became a global export business.

Angora goats in the Karoo with mohair processing, yarn and luxury knitwear representing the South African mohair value chain.

Agri Finance

The $1,000 Sweater Starts in the Karoo

South Africa dominates the global mohair trade, but much of the industry's final value is captured further downstream. We follow the journey from Karoo goat to luxury sweater.

Coffee beans and a cup representing the global coffee value chain

Economics

The Economics of Coffee: Competition, Espionage and Value Extraction

From Yemen's monopoly to the modern coffee value chain — how coffee lost control at origin and where value moved instead.

Cocoa pods and beans representing West Africa's cocoa economy

Agri Finance

Sweet and Sour: Why Record Cocoa Prices Left West Africa With a Bitter Aftertaste

Why record cocoa prices did not translate into proportionate gains for West African farmers.

The Million-Rand Black Market in South Africa’s Tiny Desert Plants

The South African Tea That Almost Lost Its Own Name

The $1,000 Sweater Starts in the Karoo

The Economics of Coffee: Competition, Espionage and Value Extraction

Sweet and Sour: Why Record Cocoa Prices Left West Africa With a Bitter Aftertaste

The Brief — Fortnightly Intelligence