What They Do:
Lebamoz collect wasted banana stems and process them into fibers, yarns, and fabrics creating locally produced natural and sustainable raw materials for both local and international markets.
Their labor-intensive process empowers rural communities, increases farmer income, and reduces waste and carbon footprint.
Startup Experience:
“Joining Berytech’s STAND Up! program was an opportunity for us to introduce banana fiber extraction and processing into the Lebanese market; the sessions would help us better develop a green sustainable framework under the guidance of experts. Our target was and still is to come out with the leanest, greenest, and most socially empowering model to apply within our local banana-growing communities.
So far, we’ve developed a green concept for our facility and we’ve designed, built, and tested our first decorticator; our first milestone would be to extract high-quality fiber, an aim we will be achieving upon the upcoming banana harvest. Our most important achievement would be a scalable production of high-quality fiber.
The Beirut blast, global pandemic, and the local economic meltdown did slow us down, many potential participants had to leave the country, the import of samples and equipment is not an option anymore given the financial situation. We designed and built our decorticator locally, and we plan to do so with all our foreseen equipment needs. We also adjusted our revenue projections to optimize and balance exports and local sales for profitability and local industry support.
By the end of the program, we aim to have a running green, sustainable operation, with a lean structure allowing for maximum social support and a well-developed product portfolio optimizing revenue. The project should eventually have clear access to market strategies both locally and internationally.”
Learn more about the STAND Up! Project.
