Etablissement Lingofe — Organic Palm Oil Agro-Enterprise, Basankusu, DRC

Since 1992

A family enterprise rooted in the soil of the Congo — and growing for thirty years.

Etablissement Lingofe is a native-led, vertically integrated agro-enterprise producing certified organic palm oil, maize, and chilli pepper in Basankusu, Democratic Republic of Congo. We exist to prove that agriculture — done right — can lift an entire community.

What We Grow

Three crops.
One mission.

We grow what the land calls for, with methods that honour it. Our primary export is certified organic red palm oil — one of the most demanded commodities in the world, produced by almost no one in DRC.

Organic Red
Palm Oil

Our primary cash crop, grown across 150 hectares of carefully managed plantation in Basankusu. Cold-pressed, certified organic, commanding premium international pricing. Signed buyer contract in place with one of Congo's largest palm oil purchasers.

$700 / tonne · Organic grade · Active buyer contract

Maize &
Corn

10 metric tonnes produced last year, cultivated between palm rows and sold in Kinshasa. Efficient intercropping that maximises the land between maturing palms.

10 MT · Kinshasa market

Dried Chilli
Pepper

A high-value diversification crop grown for local markets and regional trade. Spice cultivation adds revenue between palm harvest cycles and keeps the land productive year-round.

Seasonal · High-value spice

The Founders

A dream planted by a father. Kept alive by his sons.

We grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo. From age twelve, we walked 36 kilometres to secondary school twice a week — and walked back home on Saturdays. In Basankusu, we survived on one meal a day: thin catfish and cassava. We lost friends to illnesses that, elsewhere, would have been minor.

Despite everything, we finished our education. But the system offered no path forward — no university route, no funding, no structure. Only the village or CCP, the colonial employer that still dominated the economy.

"Plant palm trees," our father said. So in 1992, we did.

Today, Etablissement Lingofe is a commercial agro-enterprise — 150 hectares planted, a signed buyer contract, and a team of local people who grow, harvest and process beside us. Every profit goes back into the land and the community that tends it.

Paul Lingofe
Founder

Ilole Lingofe
Co-Founder

How We Got Here

1992

First Palm Trees Planted

Our father's vision. The first palms go into the ground in Basankusu — the land as the only honest path out of poverty.

2015

Commercial Operations Begin

Plantation registered as Etablissement Lingofe. First commercial harvest. The enterprise becomes a business.

2021

Systematic Expansion

Nursery programme launched. 7× growth in four years — entirely self-funded from reinvested profits.

2023

16,000-Tree Nursery

60 hectares planted by end of year. Signed buyer contract secured at full market price.

2026

Phase 1 — Industrial Scale

150 ha planted. Building a 10-ton/day processing factory to unlock premium organic export pricing.

Our Mission

Agriculture is the means.
People are the point.

Every decision we make on the plantation is shaped by four commitments. They are not separate programmes — they are one system.

Grow

Scientific, organic farming on land that colonial-era operators abandoned. We restore what was left and expand with methods that will outlast us.

Educate

Profits fund secondary school care and university scholarships. One student is already in their first year of medical school in Kinshasa — fully supported by Lingofe.

Employ

Direct jobs in planting, harvesting, processing and logistics for the people of Basankusu. We are now an established alternative employer in the district.

Heal

A qualified nurse provides free primary care to all staff and surrounding village families. Our long-term plan: a modern hospital that eliminates preventable deaths in the region.

By the Numbers

Thirty years of proof.

150

Hectares Planted

Target: 160 ha at full scale

30+

Years Rooted

First palms planted 1992

16K

Trees in 2023 Nursery

Most ambitious cycle to date

100%

Founder-Funded

Invested by founders and their sons

Phase 1

We are at the inflection point. The fruit is ready. The factory is not.

40–60 hectares are now productive — palm fruit is being harvested and currently sold without industrial processing. Investment builds a 10-ton/day palm processing factory, unlocking organic export pricing and transforming the revenue trajectory. 100% funded by the founders and their sons to date — now seeking outside capital to scale.

Enquire Now Download Deck

"The growth of a tree under the shade of another is stifled — to reach your full growth you must grow under your own sun."

A family enterprise rooted in the soil of the Congo — and growing for thirty years.

Three crops.
One mission.

A dream planted by a father. Kept alive by his sons.

Agriculture is the means.
People are the point.

Thirty years of proof.

We are at the inflection point. The fruit is ready. The factory is not.

We'd love to hear from you.

Direct Contact

Send a Message

"The growth of a tree under the shade of another is stifled — to reach your full growth you must grow under your own sun."

A family enterprise rooted in the soil of the Congo — and growing for thirty years.

Three crops.One mission.

A dream planted by a father. Kept alive by his sons.

Agriculture is the means.People are the point.

Thirty years of proof.

We are at the inflection point. The fruit is ready. The factory is not.

We'd love to hear from you.

Direct Contact

Send a Message

Three crops.
One mission.

Agriculture is the means.
People are the point.