Cantera Partners

Cantera Partners completed the sale of 44,000 tons of US-origin yellow soybeans in Bangladesh. The sale generated over $19 million for three NGOs implementing USDA Food for Progress awards. ACDI/VOCA American Soybean Association WISHH (The World Initiative for Soy in Human Health)

The demand for international food assistance is increasing due to the impacts of climate change and global conflicts, but the process of how American-grown commodities like rice and lentils are procured through USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and USAID programs and transported across the globe to reach vulnerable populations is intricate.    While NGO implementers are often pressed to distribute aid quickly, the producers and suppliers face challenges with reducing time, cost, and waste. Yesterday, stakeholders discussed the challenges and opportunities in procuring American-grown commodities for international food aid programming at the International Food Aid Showcase at USDA.   Anne Knapke, deputy chief of staff to the USDA Secretary and Matt Nims, deputy assistant to the administrator of the USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, provided opening remarks. Our associate director of resilient food systems Theresa Becchi moderated a panel featuring Texan rice farmer LG Raun of USA Rice Federation, Caitlin A. W., local and regional procurement advisor for Catholic Relief Services’ USDA McGovern-Dole programs, Riley Didion, CEO of Didion Milling, and Dawson Williams, a consultant for Cantera Partners.    Thank you to our partners who made the showcase event a success! These conversations are vital in improving service delivery so that we stand ready to serve populations most in need.    #GlobalDev #USDA #Agriculture #Farmers #FoodAid #HumanitarianAssistance #McGovernDole #FoodForProgress  

Ben Kalhorn was in attendance for the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Trade and Investment Mission to Kenya. The trip involved meetings with the US Ambassador to Kenya, agricultural processors, traders, importers, and a trip to the Port of Mombassa for a tour of various flour mills.

Cantera Partners, with a 20-year history of executing food aid monetizations in West Africa, sold 16,750 MT of soybean meal in Ghana in 2022, generating $8 million which will go to support its food aid development initiatives in the region.

As we bid farewell to 2023, it’s time to reflect on the milestones, achievements, and transformative moments that have shaped our journey over the past year. Join us in this comprehensive year-in-review to celebrate the successes and look forward to an even brighter future. To view the year in review, please visit the link below: https://lnkd.in/d5XF4dvB

Ben Kalhorn, in his position as Executive Vice President at Cantera, plays a pivotal role in overseeing the entire monetization process. He takes pride in cultivating relationships with clients, buyers, and key stakeholders throughout the monetization journey. He has led monetization efforts throughout Africa, Central, South, and Southeast Asia. “For our team, it is crucial to engage in in-country travel for connecting with buyers and establishing trust," Ben said. "While virtual meetings via Zoom are feasible, many of the buyers we collaborate with are family-owned, generational businesses. Sitting down with them in their office, observing their operations, and sharing a cup of coffee holds immense significance for these partners. This is an investment in personal connection that yields dividends, particularly when navigating complex issues during a USDA Food for Progress sale and is rooted in Cantera’s core values of building trust.”

Who’ll stop the rain? During the annual monsoons in Southeast Asia, the answer is: Nobody. And a new U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded project run by Winrock called Thai RAIN likes it that way. The one-year-old project has all the elements – including critical partnerships with local and regional researchers, farmers and innovators – to sustain a superstorm of agri-tech exploration, validation and uptake of climate-smart farming and food processing practices. #Development #Sustainability #ClimateSolutions #FoodSecurity #ClimateSmartAg #SustainableAgriculture #Localization #ThaiRAIN

In 2000, Burlington Capital became aware of a large surplus of milk powder in the USA and began to look for ways to monetize that surplus on behalf of the USDA. After the war in Afghanistan, the US government was anxious to provide support to the Afghan people and the milk powder became an excellent opportunity to make that happen. Burlington Capital formed a new company called Cantera Partners and together with the Aga Khan Foundation, developed a program for reconstituting the milk powder into UHT milk packets for distribution to school children and families in Afghanistan. This program was a 5-year program and resulted in the distribution of approximately $50 million of milk powder to Afghan families. Since the inception of that program, Cantera has continued to work with USDA and multiple non-profit partners and has monetized over $400 million dollars’ worth of USDA and USAID allocated commodities all over the world. Cantera Partners is dedicated to bringing together the public and private sector to implement programs designed to modernize and strengthen agricultural sectors in emerging countries.

Proud to partner with WISHH (The World Initiative for Soy in Human Health) on their Cambodian aquaculture project! #USDA #FoodforProgress #Cambodia

Congratulations to all of the 2023 Food for Progress Awardees! #USDA #FoodforProgress #Bangladesh #Gambia #Mauritania #CotedIvoire #Togo #Nepal #Lesotho