Frequently Asked Questions

Kewve is a trade infrastructure platform for African food and beverage businesses. We give producers the systems, compliance guidance, and global connectivity needed to build strong, credible export capability and trade with buyers in the UK, EU, and beyond.

Our four-step journey — Prepare, Improve, Structure, Trade — takes producers from their current position to being fully equipped for international trade. We are not a marketplace or a listing site. We are the operating system that sits behind African food exports.

It means exactly what it says. Every producer on Kewve has gone through an export readiness process. Every product listed has been assessed against international standards. Buyers on Kewve can source with confidence because the preparation has already been done.

We believe African food and beverage producers have world-class products. Our job is to make sure the world can access them.

• African food and beverage producers — whether you are just starting your export journey or already exporting and want to reach new markets
• UK and EU buyers — retailers, distributors, importers, and food businesses looking to source verified African products
• Organisations and trade bodies — development banks, government trade agencies, accelerators, and NGOs supporting African food sector growth
• Diaspora-owned African food businesses based in the UK, EU, or elsewhere who produce or distribute African products

Kewve supports African food and beverage products across eight categories:

• Cereals, Grains & Bakery Products
• Fats and Oils
• Beverages & Beverage Ingredients
• Confectionery & Snacks
• Dry Ingredients & Cooking Staples
• Health & Wellbeing Products
• Cooking & Kitchen Essentials
• Superfoods & Plant-based Ingredients

We support plant-based products and ambient heat-treated products that contain minor quantities of eggs or milk as ingredients. Products containing meat, fish, or seafood are not currently eligible.

Producers can be based anywhere across Africa — covering all 54 African countries. We also support African food businesses operating in the diaspora in the UK, EU, Ireland, and beyond.

Kewve is registered in Ireland and operates across the UK and European Union as its primary buyer markets. We support producers across all of Africa. We also support intra-African trade and are building connections with buyers in North America and the Middle East.

Neither. Kewve is a trade operating system and export infrastructure platform. We do not simply list products — we actively build export capability, verify compliance, structure trade documentation, and facilitate end-to-end transactions including secure payment.

Think of us as the infrastructure layer that makes African food export work properly.

No. You can join at any stage of your export journey.

Kewve assesses where you currently are and provides a clear, structured plan for what you need to do to become export-ready. Some producers are ready within weeks. Others take longer depending on where they are starting from. What matters is that you start.

Register at kewve.com and complete your producer profile. You will then be guided through the Export Readiness Assessment — a structured review of your business, products, documentation, and compliance. Based on your results, you receive a personalised action plan.

Early access onboarding fee: €70 (standard fee: €100). This is a one-time fee covering your assessment and onboarding into the platform.

If you already export, Kewve helps you increase your visibility to UK and EU buyers, access new market segments, structure your documentation for those specific regulatory environments, and build a verified, credible profile that buyers trust.

Many experienced exporters find that completing the Kewve assessment helps them identify gaps they were not aware of — particularly around UK and EU labelling requirements and allergen compliance.

The ERA is a structured review of your business and products across eleven areas:

• Business and legal readiness (registration, regulatory approvals)
• Product definition and consistency
• Food safety systems (HACCP, GMP, ISO certifications)
• Product traceability
• Production capacity and scalability
• Packaging suitability for international shipping
• Labelling compliance (UK and EU requirements)
• Shelf life and stability
• Export documentation awareness
• Logistics and shipping understanding
• Financial and payment readiness

You receive a readiness score and a personalised action list showing exactly what to address before your first order.

A score of 60 or above (Conditionally Ready or higher) unlocks your Trade Profile. A score of 80 or above (Export Ready) unlocks full product listing with no restrictions.

Producers scoring between 40 and 59 (In Progress) receive access to Kewve's guidance resources and can retake the assessment once improvements are made. No score is a dead end — every producer receives a clear path forward.

No. Kewve operates entirely as a digital platform. You do not need to travel or attend events.

Kewve represents your products to buyers through the platform and, where relevant, through trade events we attend on producers' behalf, such as IFE London. You benefit from trade event exposure without the cost of attending yourself.

After completing your ERA and Trade Profile, you add each product through the Product Catalogue. For each product you provide:

• Product name, category, form, and country of origin
• Detailed product description and ingredient list
• Product images (minimum 2, at least 800×800px)
• Product specification sheet
• Certificate of Analysis (COA) from a recognised laboratory — must be under 12 months old
• Label artwork (reviewed by the platform for UK and EU compliance)
• Allergen declaration
• Pricing in your preferred Incoterm (EXW, FOB, or CIF)

Each product is reviewed before going live. Once approved, it becomes visible to buyers on the platform.

Yes. Each product is listed independently with its own document set. You can list as many products as your business produces, provided each one meets the platform's compliance requirements.

A Certificate of Analysis is a laboratory report confirming that your product has been tested for safety, quality, and contaminants. It is required before any product can be listed on Kewve.

The COA must be from a recognised laboratory and must have been issued for your current product batch within the last 12 months. The platform checks issue dates automatically.

If you do not yet have a COA, Kewve provides guidance on how to find an accredited laboratory in your country and what parameters to test for based on your product category.

No. Organic certification is not required. However, if your products are organic certified, you can upload your certification and the platform will display an Organic badge on your listing, which significantly increases buyer interest and can command higher prices.

Accepted organic standards include EU Organic, USDA Organic, Soil Association (UK), ECOCERT, Control Union, and IFOAM.

Required documents for all products:

• Certificate of Analysis (COA) — current batch, under 12 months old
• Product specification sheet
• Label artwork in English
• Allergen declaration

Additional documents required by product category (examples):

• Cereals, grains, bakery: mycotoxin and aflatoxin test report
• Fats and oils: free fatty acid test, peroxide value, adulteration test
• Beverages: microbiological test, Brix/sugar content, pH test
• Health and wellbeing: active ingredient certificate, claims substantiation
• All organic products: organic certification and chain of custody document

Kewve shows you exactly which documents are required for your specific product category when you begin listing.

Yes — specific documents are visible to buyers directly from your product listing:

• Product images — visible to all buyers in search results and on the listing
• Product specification sheet — downloadable by all buyers from the listing
• Label artwork — visible and zoomable by all buyers
• COA summary (lab name, date, pass/fail) — visible to all buyers on listing
• COA full PDF — downloadable by all buyers
• Allergen declaration — displayed as a badge on the listing
• Organic certification — badge and certificate PDF visible if applicable

Buyers can also formally request additional documents through the platform — such as traceability records, facility inspection reports, or specific certifications. You respond and upload documents directly through your dashboard.

For UK and EU markets, your label must include: product name, full ingredient list in English, net weight, country of origin, best before or use by date, storage instructions, allergen emphasis, and the name and address of the responsible food business.

Allergens must be clearly emphasised — in bold, capitals, or a contrasting colour — every time they appear in the ingredient list. This is a legal requirement in both the UK and EU. Kewve's AI reviews your label artwork and flags any missing elements automatically.

Failure to declare allergens correctly is a criminal offence in the UK. Kewve will not approve a product listing until allergen labelling is fully compliant.

Yes. Kewve allows you to upload any additional certificates or accreditations in the Additional Documents section of your product listing. You can upload documents including:

• Halal certification
• Kosher certification
• Fairtrade certificate
• Rainforest Alliance certification
• Non-GMO verification
• Carbon footprint certificate
• Social compliance audit reports
• Shelf life study reports
• Previous buyer or retailer references

You control which documents are visible to buyers. Each visible document appears as a badge on your product listing and can be downloaded by buyers.

UK and EU regulations set strict requirements for food products entering those markets, covering food safety, labelling, contaminants, allergen declaration, and country of origin. Products that do not meet these requirements are rejected at the border or pulled from sale.

Kewve's entire platform is built around ensuring your products meet these standards before they reach any buyer. The ERA, COA requirements, labelling review, and document checklist all work together to get you compliant.

Yes, provided your product is an ambient, heat-treated product where eggs or milk are minor ingredients. A common example is chin chin made with eggs.

Products containing eggs or milk go through additional compliance steps: your animal-derived ingredients must come from an approved country for UK/EU imports, and your product must have undergone complete heat treatment throughout manufacture. Your label must also clearly emphasise the eggs or milk in the ingredient list.

Products containing meat, fish, or seafood are not currently eligible for Kewve.

You do not need a national regulatory approval number to begin the ERA or set up your profile. However, where it is required by your country of production, your regulatory registration number must appear on your product label before the product can be approved for listing.

Kewve collects information about your regulatory status during onboarding and includes it in your compliance roadmap.

A phytosanitary certificate is an official document issued by your country's plant health authority, certifying that your plant-based products are free from pests and disease. It is required for most plant-based food exports to the UK and EU.

Phytosanitary certificates are issued per shipment — they cannot be prepared in advance of a confirmed order. Kewve guides you on how to obtain one in your country (for example, NAQS in Nigeria, PPRSD in Ghana, or KEPHIS in Kenya) and ensures you have the required documentation ready at the point of shipment.

It depends on your current position. Some producers with strong food safety systems and good documentation are ready within a few weeks. Others starting from scratch may need two to four months to get compliant.

The ERA gives you a clear, prioritised action list so you are never guessing what to do next. Kewve provides resources and guidance throughout the process.

Producers arrange their own freight and logistics, supported by the logistics partner of their choice. Kewve does not arrange shipping on your behalf.

What Kewve does: We ensure all your shipment documentation is correctly prepared before goods leave — including the commercial invoice, packing list, Certificate of Origin, phytosanitary certificate, and export declaration. We also provide guidance on ISPM 15 pallet compliance and export packaging standards.

Kewve charges a commission on completed orders, deducted automatically before your payout:

• New producers (0–9 completed trades): 10% commission
• Established producers (10+ completed trades): 7.5% commission

You always see the full breakdown before and after every order: order value, commission deducted, FX rate applied, and the exact amount you will receive in your local currency.

Yes — your product labels and all export documentation must be in English for UK and EU markets. English is also the language of the Kewve platform.

However, you do not need to be fluent. Kewve's guidance is designed to be clear and straightforward, and our team is available to support producers who need assistance with documentation.

Kewve offers curated African food and beverage products across eight categories — from superfoods, dried grains, and cooking staples to beverages, oils, snacks, and health products. Every product has been assessed and prepared to meet UK and EU import standards.

Current categories available include: hibiscus (zobo), moringa, baobab, African spice blends, scotch bonnet products, palm oil, groundnut products, tiger nuts, dried plantain, African snacks, and many more.

Yes. Products on Kewve have passed Kewve's assessment and compliance review. Each listed product has:

• A current Certificate of Analysis from a recognised laboratory
• A compliant product specification sheet
• UK and EU compliant labelling reviewed by the platform
• An allergen declaration
• Category-specific documentation (e.g. mycotoxin tests for grains, fatty acid profiles for oils)

This means you spend less time on due diligence and more time building your product range.

You can browse by product category, country of origin, certifications held, or specific attributes such as organic, Halal, or Fairtrade. You can also submit a product request if you are looking for something specific that you do not see listed — Kewve will work to source and prepare matching products.

Yes. On any product listing you can click Request Document to formally request additional documentation from the producer — such as a food safety audit report, traceability records, ingredient origin documentation, or a facility inspection report.

The request is managed through the platform. You are notified when the producer responds and the document is available for download.

Minimum order quantities vary by producer. Each producer sets their own MOQ based on their production capacity — typically expressed in kilograms, tonnes, or units. MOQ information is visible on each producer's Trade Profile and product listing.

If you require a smaller quantity than the listed MOQ, contact Kewve and we will explore whether an aggregated order with other buyers is possible.

Yes. Each producer has a stated sample policy visible on their Trade Profile. Producers may offer free samples, samples at a cost, or they may not provide samples — this varies by producer.

You can request samples directly through the platform. Kewve facilitates the process.

Producers set prices in their preferred trade term — EXW (Ex Works), FOB (Free on Board), or CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight). Prices are displayed in your local currency equivalent for comparison.

Exact pricing is confirmed during the sourcing request process. You will see a full price breakdown — including the product price, applicable trade term, and Kewve's transparent transaction structure — before you commit to an order.

Browse the platform, shortlist products, and submit a sourcing request for the products and quantities you want. Kewve facilitates the introduction and manages the order process from sourcing through to payment and shipment documentation. Producers have 48 hours to confirm they can fulfil your order.

Kewve holds buyer payments in escrow until delivery is confirmed. If goods do not arrive or arrive damaged, you can raise a dispute through the platform. Kewve will investigate and manage resolution, including partial or full refunds where appropriate.

Buyer funds are never released to the producer until delivery is confirmed by you or a platform timeout has passed.

Yes. Kewve's aggregation capability allows buyers to source from multiple African producers in a single commercial interaction. Kewve coordinates documentation and payment across producers, so you deal with one process rather than managing multiple separate supplier relationships.

Kewve ensures that all export documentation required for UK or EU customs clearance is correctly prepared — commercial invoice, packing list, Certificate of Origin, phytosanitary certificate, and export declaration.

Import clearance on your end (UK or EU customs) is your responsibility. Kewve provides all the documentation you need and can connect you with a recommended customs broker if required.

Yes. Once you have traded with a producer through Kewve, repeat orders are straightforward. Producer profiles and trade history are maintained on the platform, making it easy to reorder and to track your sourcing relationships over time.

Submit a product request through the platform or contact us directly. Kewve actively sources and onboards producers to meet buyer demand. If you are looking for something specific — a particular African ingredient, a specific regional product, or a product with a particular certification — let us know and we will work to find it.

Kewve uses a secure escrow payment model:

• Buyers pay the full order value (in GBP or EUR) into Kewve's secure payment account when an order is confirmed
• Kewve holds those funds in escrow — they do not go to the producer immediately
• Funds are released to the producer only after the buyer confirms delivery, or after a platform timeout rule activates
• Kewve deducts its commission before routing the remaining payment to the producer
• Producers receive their payment in their local African currency

This model protects buyers from non-delivery and producers from non-payment.

• Credit and debit card (Visa, Mastercard) — available to all buyers
• SEPA Direct Debit — available to EU buyers
• BACS Direct Debit — available to UK buyers for larger orders
• Bank transfer — Kewve provides a secure virtual account number

Kewve accepts payment in GBP (British Pounds) and EUR (Euros) from buyers. All buyer payments are processed through a secure, licensed payment system.

Producers receive their payment in their local African currency, sent directly to their registered bank account. Supported currencies include:

• NGN — Nigerian Naira
• GHS — Ghanaian Cedi
• KES — Kenyan Shilling
• ZAR — South African Rand
• UGX — Ugandan Shilling
• TZS — Tanzanian Shilling
• XOF — West African CFA Franc (Francophone West Africa)
• ETB — Ethiopian Birr
• And more — covering producers across all African countries

Mobile money payouts (M-Pesa, MTN, Airtel, Orange Money) are also supported in applicable countries.

When Kewve releases payment to a producer, the amount is converted from GBP or EUR into the producer's local currency at the live exchange rate at the time of transfer. Kewve does not take a currency conversion margin. The rate used is transparent and displayed to the producer in their payout notification.

Every payout confirmation shows: order value in GBP/EUR, commission deducted, net amount, FX rate applied, and the final amount received in local currency.

Payment is released to the producer after the buyer confirms delivery, or automatically five days after the estimated delivery date if the buyer has not raised a dispute.

Once released, the transfer to the producer's bank account typically takes one to three business days depending on the country and payout method.

If a buyer raises a dispute — for example, goods not arrived, goods arrived damaged, or goods do not match the specification — Kewve immediately freezes the escrow payment. No funds are released while the dispute is open.

Kewve investigates the dispute by reviewing order documentation, delivery evidence, and communication between buyer and producer. Resolution may result in a full refund, partial refund, or release of payment to the producer depending on the findings.

Yes. Buyer payments are processed through Stripe, an FCA-authorised and Central Bank of Ireland authorised payment institution. Funds are held in Stripe's safeguarded client account — they are protected and ringfenced, not held in a standard Kewve company bank account.

Producer payouts are processed through Flutterwave, a PCI DSS Level 1 compliant payment platform licensed in 34 African countries.

All transactions are subject to anti-money laundering screening and sanctions checks by the payment providers.

Yes. Kewve actively seeks partnerships with organisations that share our mission of building African food and beverage trade capability. We work with trade bodies, development banks, accelerators, NGOs, embassies, and government trade agencies.

If your organisation supports African food producers, funds export development, or facilitates market access, there is a strong basis for collaboration. Contact us at abiola@kewve.com to discuss.

Yes. We work with or are in active dialogue with trade promotion agencies across multiple African countries and diaspora trade bodies in the UK and EU. Kewve can serve as the digital infrastructure that supports your producers in building export capability and accessing verified international buyers.

We are open to formal partnership arrangements, co-branded producer onboarding programmes, and referral agreements.

Yes. Kewve's aggregation capability is specifically designed to support producer groups, cooperatives, and clusters. A group of producers in the same region or product category can collectively fulfil large buyer orders that none of them could manage individually.

We can onboard producer groups in a structured cohort, with dedicated support for the group coordinator or lead organisation.

Yes. Kewve has been designed to be compatible with grant-funded and subsidised producer development programmes. We have worked with producers supported by development finance institutions and trade programmes.

We can structure onboarding fees, training support, and platform access to align with the requirements of your programme. Contact us to discuss what works for your funding structure.

Yes. While our primary focus is connecting African producers with UK and EU buyers, Kewve also supports trade within Africa. African buyers — retailers, distributors, and food businesses — can access verified African products through the platform, supporting the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

We are building a rich dataset from producer assessments and platform activity that gives genuine insight into export readiness levels, product category gaps, compliance challenges, and buyer demand patterns across African food markets.

We are open to data partnerships and research collaborations with development institutions, academic bodies, and trade policy organisations. Contact us to explore.

Yes, and we welcome this. African embassies and high commissions in the UK and EU are natural partners for Kewve — you have direct relationships with your country's producers and with trade officials. We have active outreach in this space and would welcome a conversation about how we can work together.

Contact us at abiola@kewve.com.

Yes. We are in active dialogue with Afreximbank and similar institutions around trade finance, producer capability building, and platform integration. If you represent a development finance institution interested in how Kewve can form part of your African trade infrastructure, we would welcome the conversation.

Kewve collects and processes personal and business data in line with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). Your data is used to manage your account, verify your business, process transactions, and improve the platform.

We do not sell your data to third parties. We do not share your data with buyers beyond what is necessary for a specific transaction you have initiated.

Yes. Bank account details provided by producers are encrypted at rest and in transit. They are never displayed in full after entry — only the last four digits are shown on confirmation screens. Bank account data is never visible to buyers under any circumstances.

Payment processing is handled by Stripe and Flutterwave, both of which maintain PCI DSS Level 1 compliance — the highest level of payment security certification.

Buyers can see product images, specification sheets, label artwork, COA summaries, and allergen declarations directly from your product listing. Full COA PDFs and additional documents marked as visible are also downloadable.

Your bank account details, personal contact information, and internal business documents are never visible to buyers.

Kewve staff may access your documents for verification and compliance review purposes only.

Kewve retains all transaction records — order values, commission details, exchange rates, payout amounts, and associated documentation — for a minimum of seven years. This is required for financial regulation compliance and is also available to you as a full audit trail in your producer or buyer dashboard.

Contact us directly at abiola@kewve.com. We take data and privacy concerns seriously and will respond within two working days.