Behind the agriculture scenes

It is exactly three years when idea of having a pepper farm in Mozambique arrived into Mike's brain. And yesterday it was D-day when the first real crop of peppers were mashed in his Drotsky machine on his Elephant Pepper farm. After starting the machine, everybody was coughing and sneezing very intensive. Hopefully we didn't hurt anybody's respiratory system. The air was so densed with chilli acid gas that we barly kept our weeping eyes open.  But we successfully prepared peppers for next Tabasco factory shipment. Mike is one of seven suppliers in the world who supply Tabasco (Lousiana, USA) with peppers. He provides employment to almost 100 local people so far. His farm is located in Augusto, Marracuene, Mozambique. 95% of employees are women.

Elephant Pepper farm

Filling the buckets

Sign on the wall

Cat waiting for chilli adventure

Drotsky milling machine

Full buckets

Electrician reading the manual

Electrician connecting wires

Adding salt to chilli and weighing

More weighing

Cats leaving the place

Mike pouring chillis into machine

Masks on

Starting the machine

One Saturday on a pepper farm

Mike from Australia is driving his tired Toyota Hilux Surf diesel to his Elephant Pepper farm in Marracuene, Mozambque. His farm is 35 or 40 minutes hard-driving distance from his rented appartment at Polana district, Maputo. He drives to the farm at least three or four times a week. He needs to check if everything is ok, if people are working properly and if they need some instructions or help. On the farm there is always time for some fun as well and there is always a good feeling if you talk to the people on the field. And by the way, you find exactly these peppers from this farm later in Tabasco and Nando's products.

Mike driving

Marracuene back road

Farm plan

Employee

Pickers

Bucket with peppers

Male picker

Mike and Novela checking fields

Field mark

Warehouse

Farm dog called Spicey

Kids having fun on the farm

Whiteboard

Farm logo