Expandia International Traders, Inc.

Expandia International Traders, SARL / Inc. Founded in 2010 and registered in Both Ontario, Canada, and Burkina Faso, EIT was founded as a social enterprise to use the power of markets to develop the Burkinabe economy and change the sourcing practices of agricultural traders through competition. During its operations, EIT employed a dozen full-time staff and sourced primary agricultural products f

rom thousands of farmers in Northern and Eastern Burkina, and successfully competed with large multinational companies such as OLAM by using innovative social sourcing networks, supporting local community innovators to become entrepreneurs, and ensuring fair purchasing price to farmers in our supply network. EIT leased processing facilities in Ouagadougou near the head office and a regional office in Fada N'Gourma. The Ontario, CA office handled sales and contracts with buyers from Lebanon, Turkey, Canada, and the United States. In 2010, the company needed to raise angel funds to continue to grow to a sustainable size, but the investment climate after the 2008-2009 financial crisis was extremely negative, and despite favorable financial projections, was unable to find a willing investor. Faced with insolvency, the team approached Dutch/Burkinabe competitor Maxigrana SARL and negotiated the transfer of contracts, key staff, and suppliers, successfully satisfied all obligations, and dissolved the company.