Forested

What Forested does

Forested is a women-led Public Benefit Corporation operating an "Ingredient Insets" model that supplies regenerative botanical ingredients — including bee products, butters, carrier oils, and essential oils — sourced from East African smallholder farmers and indigenous land stewards to conscious consumer brands. Founded in 2018 by Ariana Day Yuen, a Yale School of Management MBA with prior experience at Booz Allen Hamilton and TechnoServe in Ethiopia, the company runs sourcing operations across Ethiopia (honey and beekeeping in three UNESCO Biosphere Reserves), Kenya (castor, essential oils, carrier oils), Uganda (Nilotica shea butter), and Indonesia (coconut oil). The named brand customer base includes Lush, with sales conducted through direct, contract-based B2B relationships rather than self-serve channels.

The company's technology stack consists of two core components: a Community-Owned Monitoring and Verification (MRV) system in which farming communities collect primary carbon, nature, and community data and are compensated for it, with outputs verified by independent third parties; and a Carbon and Nature Insetting Platform and Calculator that links each kilogram of product sourced to a verifiable Scope 3 emissions reduction credit. These capabilities extend Forested's offer beyond raw ingredient supply into verified scope-3 supply chain insetting, a positioning aimed at brands seeking insetting (within their value chain) over external offsets.

Revenue is generated through three transaction-based streams: natural ingredient sales to consumer brands, third-party verified Scope 3 carbon insetting credits sold to value chain actors, and project-based regenerative programming (community conservation, reforestation, solar-based agro-processing). Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, relying on direct brand outreach, named business development contacts, and a buyer inquiry form. Pricing is opaque and contract-based. The company is supported operationally by a multidisciplinary team of roughly 12 named staff across the US, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda, and institutionally by development/research partners (CGIAR, USAID, GIZ, TechnoServe), impact funders (Mulago Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Yale), and validators (World Economic Forum).

Name

Forested

Legal name

Forested, a Public Benefit Corporation

Website

https://forested.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Forested is a women-led Public Benefit Corporation that sources regenerative botanical ingredients, including bee products, butters, carrier oils, and essential oils, from East African smallholder farmers, supplying them alongside verified carbon insetting credits to conscious consumer brands like Lush.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regenerative Ingredient Sourcing

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Forestry and Logging (113)

SIC

Forestry (800), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Carbon Forestry Project Development & Origination (Afforestation/Reforestation/IFM) (IMAMAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forest Carbon Projects & Ecosystem Services (Carbon Credits, Biodiversity) (IMAMAAAJ), Agroforestry & Perennial Cropping Systems (EUABABAD), Timberland Carbon & Natural Capital Project Development (Offsets/REDD+) (AFAMAKAH)

Keywords

• Regenerative ingredient sourcing
• Natural botanical oils
• Carbon inset credits
• Smallholder supply chains
• Sustainable beekeeping products

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Natural Ingredient Sales: Sale of regenerative botanical ingredients including bee products, butters, carrier oils, and essential oils sourced from smallholder farmers and land stewards in East Africa. Ingredients are sold to conscious consumer brands.
2. Verified Carbon Insetting Credits: Third-party verified Scope 3 emissions reduction credits sold to value chain actors. Each kilogram of product purchased corresponds to a verifiable carbon amount reduced and removed. Companies invest in insetting projects and are compensated for farming communities' carbon and nature contributions.
3. Regenerative Projects: Project-based work supporting sustainable community development through conservation, reforestation, and environmentally-friendly production practices. Includes reforestation initiatives, community-led monitoring and verification (MRV), and solar-based agro-processing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Forested partners with smallholder farmers and indigenous land stewards in East Africa to source regenerative botanical ingredients (bee products, butters, carrier oils, and essential oils) and deliver them to conscious consumer brands. The company also operates regenerative conservation and reforestation projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda, and sells third-party verified Scope 3 carbon inset credits corresponding to each kilogram of ingredient sourced.

Product overview

Forested is a women-led Ingredient Insets company serving as regenerative ingredient sourcing partners to brands committed to a climate-neutral, nature-positive, and socially-just world. The company operates a three-part product portfolio: Natural Ingredients (sustainably sourced bee products, butters, carrier oils, and essential oils from East Africa), Regenerative Projects (community-based conservation and reforestation initiatives in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda), and Verified Carbon Insets (third-party verified Scope 3 emissions reduction credits for value chain actors). The company is based in East Africa and partners with smallholder farmers and indigenous land stewards to deliver climate-negative, nature-positive, and socially-just regenerative ingredients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Natural Ingredients Sustainably sourced regenerative botanical ingredients from East Africa (and Indonesia for coconut oil), including bee products, butters, carrier oils, and essential oils, supplied to conscious consumer brands committed to climate-neutral, nature-positive, and socially-just supply chains.
• Regenerative Projects Community-based conservation and reforestation initiatives supporting sustainable development through partnerships with smallholder farmers and indigenous land stewards in Ethiopia (honey), Kenya (castor), and Uganda (shea), combining reforestation, pollinator health, water resource management, and agro-processing upskilling.
• Verified Carbon Insets Third-party verified Scope 3 emissions reduction credits enabling companies to invest in carbon sequestration and nature-positive projects within their own supply chains through regenerative agriculture and conservation principles; each kilogram of product sourced corresponds to a verifiable carbon amount reduced and removed.

Quantifiable outcome

• Verified Scope 3 emissions reductions corresponding to each kilogram of product sourced
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Yale UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYale University's School of Management connection through founder Ariana Day Yuen (MBA from Yale SOM). The partnership provides academic credibility, access to research resources, and alumni network support for the company's conservation economy mission.
• World Economic ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner on Forested's team page. The WEF connection signals high-level institutional credibility and potential for policy-level influence and network access in sustainable development and regeneration circles.
• GIZcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) listed as a partner. GIZ is a German development agency implementing international development projects on behalf of the German government, supporting sustainable supply chains and regenerative agriculture.
• SidleyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSidley Austin LLP, a major international law firm, listed as a partner. Likely provides legal and advisory support for the company's operations and structuring as a Public Benefit Corporation.
• Mulago FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA foundation focused on funding and supporting organizations that deliver measurable impacts for people living in extreme poverty. Listed as a partner providing strategic and financial support for impact-oriented operations.
• David and Lucile Packard FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA major philanthropy foundation supporting conservation, science, and civil society. Listed as a partner supporting Forested's conservation economy and regenerative agriculture mission.
• CGIARcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA global research partnership engaged in research about climate change, agriculture, and food systems. CGIAR's work with smallholder farmers and regenerative agriculture aligns closely with Forested's mission.
• USAIDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited States Agency for International Development. Cited as a collaborator supporting development projects in Ethiopia's agricultural and conservation sectors.
• TechnoServecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational nonprofit organization that promotes business solutions to poverty. Several team members and advisors have backgrounds at TechnoServe. Forested's model was inspired in part by TechnoServe's Majang Forest Livelihoods project.
• GreenPath FoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA company focused on sustainable food systems and smallholder agriculture. Advisory board member Jacie Jones is Co-Founder and Managing Director of GreenPath Food.
• LushcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe ethical cosmetics brand is cited as a brand partner on Forested's About page, sourcing regenerative ingredients from Forested's East African supply chain.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sourcery: Sourcery is a regenerative ingredient sourcing platform connecting brands to smallholder farmer supply chains, with comparable focus on provenance, traceability, and regenerative sourcing — directly overlapping Forested's ingredient GTM.
• Burlap & Barrel: Burlap & Barrel sources single-origin spices and botanicals directly from smallholder farmers globally for premium CPG buyers; comparable mission of direct smallholder sourcing for conscious consumer brands.
• Kuli Kuli Foods: Kuli Kuli sources moringa and other botanical ingredients from smallholder farmer cooperatives, primarily in West Africa, for health and wellness brands — directly comparable smallholder ingredient sourcing model with CPG distribution.

Emerging players

• Pachama: Pachama operates a carbon credits marketplace with strong nature-based solutions emphasis; comparable in monetizing verified forest and agricultural carbon, though it operates as a marketplace rather than direct sourcing.
• Patch: Patch provides verified carbon credit API infrastructure for businesses, comparable in monetizing verified carbon units for corporate buyers, though focused on a broader credit mix rather than nature-based insets specifically.
• CIBO Technologies: CIBO Technologies combines remote sensing and agricultural modeling with carbon inset/credit programs for growers and buyers; adjacent to Forested's MRV and inset platform capabilities with a more software-led approach.

Broad incumbents

• Indigo Ag: Indigo Ag is a much larger agritech and carbon inset platform serving major CPG and agricultural buyers; broader in scope but operates in the same agricultural carbon inset category Forested targets with its Scope 3 program.
• Symrise: Symrise is a global flavor and fragrance ingredients company with substantial sustainability and natural sourcing programs, including Africa-based botanical supply; overlaps with Forested's essential oils and botanical ingredients business at much larger scale.
• Dr. Bronner's: Dr. Bronner's is a mission-driven CPG company with deep commitments to regenerative organic sourcing, including castor oil from Haiti and India; a brand-side peer with comparable regenerative ingredient supply chain ethos and overlapping castor/carrier oil categories.

Others

• Lush: Lush is Forested's named enterprise brand partner and also runs its own direct ethical sourcing programs; included as a customer-adjacent reference point in the conscious beauty category that shapes Forested's buyer profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors4 records

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 Forested