Team
Henry Johnson - Director
After graduating from University College London, Henry spent 12 years working in management consulting for Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting). He first got involved in the Baobab industry in 2014 when he joined PhytoTrade Africa (the NGO responsible for Baobab's EU Novel Food application) as their Baobab Market Development Manager. Since then he has held various positions in the Baobab industry. He is also a Board member of the Africa Baobab Alliance.
An avid reader of academic and clinical research, Henry is known for his technical knowledge of Baobab Fruit Powder functionality. He specializes in collaborating with research institutions and supporting our customers in their R&D and new product development activities.
Gus Le Breton - African Plant Hunter
A graduate of both Cambridge and Yale Universities, Gus is an ethnobotanist and passionate conservationist. In 2006 he set up PhytoTrade Africa, an NGO focused on the conservation of southern African tree and plant species through commercialisation and trade. In 2008 PhytoTrade successfully registered Baobab Fruit as a Novel Food in the EU, which was a landmark ruling at the time because it was the first ever successful EU Novel Foods application that was based entirely on traditional use and not animal testing. He is the Founder and Chair of the African Baobab Alliance.
Based in Zimbabwe, Gus is also well known for his video blog The African Plant Hunter where he ventures out into remote areas to reveal the hidden secrets of Africa’s healing plants.
Industry Leadership
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We are members of the FairWild Foundation which aims to provide a global framework for implementing a sustainable and fair trading system for wild-collected plant ingredients and their products.
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We are members of The Union for Ethical BioTrade is a nonprofit association that promotes the "Sourcing with Respect" of ingredients that come from biodiversity.
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We are members of PhytoTrade Africa, the trade association of the natural products industry in southern Africa who's purpose is to alleviate poverty and protect biodiversity in the region by developing an industry that is not only economically successful but also ethical, sustainable and Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) compliant.
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We are the founders of The African Baobab Alliance, an organisation of Baobab producers, traders and brands united in a common desire to support the development of the Baobab industry worldwide.
