- Expanding green energy through solar and hydropower projects.
Thank you and welcome to Mount Elgon Orchards
We are grateful for your trust in our products — grown with care, responsibility and fun at the foothills of Mount Elgon in Kenya.
Founded in the 1920s by Swedish botanist Robert A. Andersen, Mount Elgon Orchards is proud to be one of Kenya’s oldest horticultural farms. Thanks to the success of our roses and avocados, we established the Mount Elgon Trust in 2005 to invest in our people, our communities and our environment.
Caring for people and communities
Through the Mount Elgon Trust, we support projects in healthcare, education and welfare for our employees and neighbouring villages.
- The Andersen Medical Centre treats more than 35,000 patients each year and includes an HIV centre, maternity ward and community outreach programmes.
- Our schools provide education for over 3,300 children, while our Practical Training School welcomes more than 350 students.
- The Trust also runs an orphanage, a farmers’ training centre, and two community projects focusing on girls’ empowerment and local development, alongside housing for 100 families.
We aim to deliver all our products carbon-neutral by 2029. Our sustainability strategy includes:
- Increasing carbon sequestration by maintaining 150 hectares of forest and planting 1 million trees in 10 years.
- Reducing emissions by gradually shifting from air freight to sea freight.
In 2024 we are investing over $1 million in a new green-power project, and by 2026 we plan to expand further with a multi-megawatt hydroelectric system.
Our floating solar installations now power 96% of our avocado irrigation, cutting diesel use by more than 30,000 litres each year and reducing CO₂ emissions by around 9,000 kg annually.
Protecting our water resources
By 2030, Mount Elgon Orchards will use zero water from rivers or aquifers.
We are harvesting rainwater from all 45 hectares of greenhouse roofs, combined with flood-water collection, to create 1 billion litres of lined and covered water storage — enough for nearly 2 years of irrigation without touching natural sources.
Fair wages and benefits
Our employees earn on average 32% above Fairtrade wages in Kenya, with a minimum of per 7.5-hour workday. In addition, we provide:
- Free healthcare
- Subsidised maize and milk 50%
- Subsidised daily lunch 70% and free tea
- Monthly and annual bonuses (including stoves, solar lights, blankets, umbrellas)
- Access to housing schemes and company savings cooperatives
we stand for
Quality
After decades of growing roses, Mount Elgon Orchards has developed a trusted and recognised brand — The Elgon Collection.
we stand for
Responsibility
We know that quality begins with people. Taking care of those behind the process is essential to everything we do.
we stand for
Fun
We believe that enjoying your work makes a difference. Fun creates energy, and energy leads to better teamwork, better products and better results.
“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
~ African proverb