Project Update: HBC 2026 Week 8 – Field Visit to Hendy Farms

The final week of the Horticulture Business Challenge (HBC) 2026 marked the conclusion of an intensive eight-week journey of collaboration, innovation, and practical learning across Ghana’s agribusiness sector.

As part of the week’s key activities, participants delivered their final company presentations and submitted their Final Internship Reports. Each team showcased the solutions they developed for their host companies, highlighting the value delivered, key achievements, insights gained throughout the internship, and strategic recommendations for sustaining impact beyond the programme.

To ensure continuity of their work, participants also completed the structured handover of project materials, including reports, documentation, spreadsheets, code repositories, and other relevant deliverables to support ongoing implementation by host companies.

Field Visit: Hendy Farms, Dodowa

A key highlight of the final week was the field visit to Hendy Farms in Dodowa, an award-winning, female-led agribusiness and ecotourism enterprise.

Founded in 1997 by Henry Dei and now led by Sandra Snowden and Rita Brobey, Hendy Farms has grown into a second-generation enterprise known for its commitment to sustainability, innovation, and value addition in agriculture. Located at the foothills of the Larteh Mountains, the 20-acre orchard produces premium mango varieties including Keitt, Kent, Palmer, and Hayden.

During the visit, participants were guided through the orchard and processing facilities by Sales Manager Emida Ferguson, who provided insights into the farm’s production processes and value chain. The cohort observed how fresh mangoes are transformed into a variety of products, including dried fruit snacks, jams, hot sauces, popsicles, and frozen fruit slices, all produced without artificial preservatives or additives.

The visit also highlighted Hendy Farms’ sustainability practices, including the use of solar-powered irrigation and solar drying systems, reinforcing the importance of environmentally responsible agribusiness models.

The experience concluded with a product tasting session, where participants sampled a range of Hendy Farms products and engaged with Nathan Kolembe, Social Media Content Creator Lead, to share feedback on product quality and presentation.

Closing Reflections

The field visit provided participants with valuable exposure to sustainable agriculture, agro-processing, branding, and product development, further strengthening the HBC programme’s objective of bridging academic learning with real-world industry experience.

As the HBC 2026 programme comes to a close, we celebrate the commitment of all participants, the support of host companies, and the partnerships that made this year’s edition a success. Special appreciation is extended to Hendy Farms for opening its doors and contributing meaningfully to the learning journey of the cohort.