Lizard Earth

What Lizard Earth does

Lizard Earth is a Sierra Leonean producer and distributor of organic cocoa, founded in 2018 and headquartered in Kenema in the country's eastern region. The company aggregates cocoa from smallholder farmers in Eastern Sierra Leone and is positioning the country as a supplier of high-quality organic cocoa into global markets. Its value proposition centers on sustainable agricultural practices, increased yields for smallholder growers, and improved farmer livelihoods, with the stated aim of giving global cocoa buyers access to a new organic origin.

Lizard Earth's business model is built on a smallholder sourcing network combined with downstream distribution to international cocoa buyers. Revenue mechanics are not disclosed and no specific named products, grades, or certification-backed SKUs are referenced in the available data. The company's only disclosed customer-facing segment is "Global Cocoa Buyers," addressed horizontally, while the supply-side counterpart is the network of smallholder cocoa farmers in Sierra Leone that the company organizes, trains, and sources from.

In March 2022, Lizard Earth received its first and only disclosed institutional capital: USD 550,000 in seed funding via a convertible debt instrument from impact investor Acumen. Use of proceeds is explicitly directed at expanding sourcing capacity, raising smallholder yields, and promoting sustainable practices. Beyond this, the company has no disclosed technology stack, no named management team, no certifications or compliance registrations, and a website that remained a placeholder at the time of data collection — a profile consistent with a very early-stage operational entity rather than a scaled commercial business.

Name

Lizard Earth

Website

https://lizard-earth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Lizard Earth is a Sierra Leonean producer and distributor of organic cocoa, headquartered in Kenema, that aggregates output from smallholder farmers in Eastern Sierra Leone for sale to global cocoa buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cocoa Production and Distribution

NAICS

Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (113210)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Agroforestry & Perennial Cropping Systems (EUABABAD)

Keywords

• Organic cocoa production
• Sustainable cocoa sourcing
• Smallholder farmer support
• Agricultural commodities distribution
• West Africa cocoa supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Kenema

HQ country

Sierra Leone

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure

Core offering

Lizard Earth is a Sierra Leonean organic cocoa producer and distributor that sources cocoa from smallholder farmers in Eastern Sierra Leone. The company focuses on sustainable agricultural practices, increased cocoa yields, and improving farmer livelihoods. It positions Sierra Leone as a supplier of high-quality organic cocoa to global buyers.

Product overview

Lizard Earth is a Sierra Leonean organic cocoa producer that works with smallholder farmers to source and produce high-quality organic cocoa. The company focuses on sustainable agricultural practices and improving farmer livelihoods. No specific named products or modules are identified in the available source data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organic Cocoa High-quality organic cocoa sourced from smallholder farmers in Eastern Sierra Leone, produced using sustainable agricultural practices. Sold to global cocoa buyers and chocolate manufacturers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Increased cocoa yields for smallholder farmers

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Original Beans: Single-origin, organic, and conservation-linked cocoa and chocolate brand sourcing from multiple emerging origins. Comparable in regenerative agroforestry narrative, premium pricing, and direct-to-buyer specialty model.
• Divine Chocolate: Fairtrade-owned cocoa cooperative that sources from West African smallholders and sells premium chocolate globally. Highly comparable mission (smallholder livelihoods, sustainable sourcing) and buyer-facing brand model, with stronger scale and brand recognition.
• Beyond Good: Single-origin African cocoa (and vanilla) producer working directly with farmers in Madagascar and Uganda. Closely comparable in origin-differentiation strategy, direct farmer relationships, and premium organic positioning.

Others

• Cocoa Horizons Foundation (Barry Callebaut): Industry sustainability and farmer-income program run by Barry Callebaut. Important ecosystem comparator because it sets the standard for premium, traceable cocoa programs that Lizard Earth must align with or differentiate against.
• Rainforest Alliance: Major sustainability certification body covering cocoa and other tropical commodities. Relevant ecosystem player because certification under this standard (or equivalents) is typically required for Lizard Earth to access premium cocoa off-take contracts.

Broad incumbents

• ofi (Olam Food Ingredients): Major global cocoa processor and supplier with extensive West African sourcing operations, including sustainability programs. Comparable buyer relationship profile and a likely off-taker for origin suppliers like Lizard Earth.
• Barry Callebaut: World's largest cocoa processor and chocolate manufacturer, sourcing from West Africa at massive scale. Useful benchmark for cocoa pricing, processing economics, and large-buyer requirements Lizard Earth must eventually meet.
• Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate: Global cocoa and chocolate business with deep West African sourcing infrastructure and premium sustainability programs. Represents both a potential customer channel and the dominant competitive force in certified cocoa supply.
• Tony's Chocolonely: Mission-driven chocolate brand sourcing 100% traceable cocoa from West African cooperatives. Comparable farmer-livelihoods thesis and a likely premium off-take partner for origin suppliers.

Emerging players

• Equal Exchange: Worker-cooperative model sourcing fairly traded cocoa (and other commodities) from small-scale farmer cooperatives. Comparable smallholder-first sourcing philosophy and end-buyer premium positioning, though U.S.-market focused.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lizard Earth