SEKEM
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersCairo, Egypt
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
SEKEM firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SEKEM
- Legal name
- SEKEM
- Website
- https://sekem.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SEKEM industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Organic Agriculture and Biodynamic Food Production
- NAICS
- Compost Manufacturing (325315), Postharvest Crop Activities (except Cotton Ginning) (115114), Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333111)
- SIC
- Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Services (700), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Soil Carbon & Regenerative Agriculture Removal (Soil Organic Carbon Credits) (EUABAFAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Regenerative Agriculture & Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) (EUABABAE), Grassland/Rangeland Management & Restoration (EUABABAF), Agroforestry & Perennial Cropping Systems (EUABABAD)
Keywords
Where SEKEM is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cairo
- HQ country
- Egypt
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices6 records
Markets served
SEKEM business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Organic/biodynamic product sales (food, pharmaceuticals, garments): SEKEM co-workers process biodynamic raw materials from contract farmers into food, pharmaceuticals and garments sold primarily on the Egyptian market, with export to Germany and other markets via own online shops and partners.
- Carbon credit sales (Economy of Love): Whole-system agricultural carbon credits sold to corporate buyers via the Economy of Love standard and the African Carbon Exchange; 84 accounts received their first carbon credit certificates in March 2025.
- Licensing and certification fees (EoL): Economy of Love certification fees charged to certified companies (e.g., NatureTex, OGLAND) for sustainable, ethical and transparent product certification.
- Donations and crowdfunding: Fundraising campaigns for the Desert School, Medical Center, SEKEM School, Education and the Greening the Desert project (PIVOT platform) accepting donations from individuals and supporter associations in Germany, Austria and beyond.
- Online retail (D2C e-commerce): Direct-to-consumer sales of Demeter-certified SEKEM products through SEKEM Shop Germany and SEKEM Online Shop Egypt.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Carbon credit floor price (Economy of Love) |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Crowdfunding donations (Desert School, Education, Health, SEKEM School) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels12 records
SEKEM product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SEKEM operates an integrated biodynamic agriculture and processing value chain producing Demeter-certified organic food, beverages, textiles, pharmaceuticals and herbal products from biodynamic raw materials, sold through its own e-commerce shops in Egypt and Germany. In parallel, SEKEM — together with the Egyptian Biodynamic Association (EBDA) — develops and sells the Economy of Love (EoL) certification standard and whole-system agricultural carbon credits tradable on the African Carbon Exchange, generating additional income for ~5,000 smallholder farmers. The initiative also runs education (Heliopolis University, SEKEM School, Vocational Training Center), healthcare (Medical Center) and the Greening the Desert land-reclamation project.
Product overview
SEKEM is a holistic sustainable-development initiative (founded 1977) rather than a single unified software product. Its portfolio is organized across four pillars — Economy, Ecology, Societal Life and Cultural Life — and spans a network of operating companies, brands, projects and institutions that together form an integrated ecosystem: biodynamic agriculture and food/textile processing are delivered through SEKEM Agriculture and the subsidiaries ISIS Organic, Atos, NatureTex, Lotus, and SEKEM Energy; commerce runs via the SEKEM Online Shop Germany (shop.sekem.com) and SEKEM Online Shop Egypt (sekemonline.com); the flagship Greening the Desert / SEKEM Al Wahat project (pivot.sekem.com) reclaims desert land using solar-powered pivot irrigation and tree planting; sustainability is certified and managed through the Economy of Love (EoL) standard, Demeter certification and the Sustainability Flower framework; education and culture flow through Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development, SEKEM School, the Vocational Training Center, the SEKEM Development Foundation, the Arts Department (Space of Culture) and the Medical Center (Integrative Health); and external communication is supported by the SEKEM News iOS/Android app and annual Sustainability Reports (including the interactive 2025 report).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SEKEM Demeter: Revised brand of SEKEM for Demeter-certified tea and foodstuff stepping into new (German and other) markets.
- Economy of Love (EoL)
Products and services
- ISIS Organic (Isis for Food Manufacturing) Demeter-certified organic food and beverage products (herbs, juices, vegetables, honey) processed from biodynamic raw materials for the Egyptian and international markets.
- Atos (Atos Pharma) Demeter-certified pharmaceuticals produced from biodynamically grown raw materials.
- NatureTex Organic and biodynamic cotton textiles manufactured by SEKEM and certified under the Economy of Love standard.
- Lotus Premium organic/biodynamic raw ingredients supplied to SEKEM and external buyers.
- SEKEM Energy Alternative and renewable energy solutions including photovoltaic stations, Scheffler mirrors, hybrid solar dryers and solar water heaters deployed across SEKEM operations and external clients.
- Economy of Love (EoL) Standard and Carbon Credits Certification standard plus verified whole-system agricultural carbon credits covering organic farming, fair trade, carbon sequestration and social equity; sold to corporate buyers via the African Carbon Exchange.
- Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development Higher-education institution in Cairo offering academic programs in sustainable development, including the upcoming SDGI international scientific conference.
- SEKEM Medical Center (Integrative Health) Integrative and preventive healthcare services delivered through the SEKEM Medical Center and the small clinic at the Al Wahat farm.
- SEKEM School Holistic school based on Waldorf education teaching the Egyptian curriculum plus creative and manual skills; includes the SEKEM Wahat School for children of the desert community.
- SEKEM Vocational Training Center (VTC) Vocational training for teenagers covering trades such as mechanics, plumbing, carpentry, garment production, photovoltaic installation and agriculture.
- SEKEM Wahat Carbon Credit Certificates Verified agricultural carbon credits issued under the Economy of Love standard, each representing one ton of CO2 offset, sold to corporate buyers through the African Carbon Exchange.
Quantifiable outcome
- Carbon credits improve farmer income per acre from EUR 200 to EUR 400 (50–100% increase)
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use SEKEM
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
SEKEM technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature6 records
SEKEM partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
31 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Demeter InternationalflagshipDemeter International is the worldwide federation of Demeter/Biodynamic certifiers; Helmy Abouleish has served as President since 2018, representing the next step in Demeter's organizational development. Demeter Intl. is active in 60 countries with more than 187,000 ha Demeter-certified land, 5,387 certified farmers and 979 processors worldwide. Demeter International Conference 2015 was hosted at SEKEM.
- Egyptian Biodynamic Association (EBDA)flagshipEBDA is the largest organic/biodynamic farmers association in Egypt and co-developer of the Economy of Love (EoL) standard with SEKEM; central partner for scaling to 40,000 then 250,000 farmers and for distributing carbon credit proceeds to smallholders across all Egyptian governorates.
- Heliopolis University for Sustainable DevelopmentcoreThe higher education and research arm of the SEKEM Initiative; co-develops sustainability research, hosts the SDGI international conference (September 23–24, 2025) and the Climate Heroes Forum on Women's Empowerment; scheduled to host the Next Economies Forum 2027 and the 4th Climate Heroes Forum in September 2025.
- ISIS OrganiccoreISIS for Food Manufacturing is a SEKEM Holding company that hosted the March 2025 Carbon Certificate Awards ceremony and completed SEKEM's first carbon credit transaction with EBDA.
- NatureTex (SEKEM textile company)coreSEKEM's textile arm, certified under the Economy of Love standard alongside Swedish brand OGLAND.
- Lotus (SEKEM sister company)coreSEKEM sister company producing premium raw ingredients showcased alongside SEKEM products at BIOFACH 2024.
- SEKEM Development Foundation (SDF)coreSEKEM's non-profit development arm executing international projects (CLUSTERATLAS4MED rural sustainable tourism, NBS4MED nature-based solutions, INTECMED, TEC-MED, KHNA, Stand Up!).
- World Future Council (WFC)flagshipSEKEM founder Ibrahim Abouleish was a councilor since 2007; Helmy Abouleish was elected councilor in 2017 and is also a Club of Rome member. Jointly hosted the inauguration of the One Home Journey 2024–2030 with World Future Council at Heliopolis University.
- Club of RomecoreHelmy Abouleish was invited to join the Club of Rome as a full member in 2023, recognizing SEKEM's leadership in sustainable development.
- Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (Egypt) and ENIflagshipSEKEM signed a cooperation agreement to implement the 'Towards Organic Agriculture' project in partnership with Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum and ENI, announced in February 2025.
- Demeter EgyptcoreEgyptian Demeter certification body (linked to EBDA); partner in the 'Towards Organic Agriculture' project and broader biodynamic expansion.
- Beluga ReisenminorGerman tour operator based in Göttingen organizing SEKEM farm experience trips (e.g., August 2027).
- ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas)minorCo-organized the 'Regreening the Desert' webinar with Heliopolis University and IWMI on the occasion of the World Day to Combat Desertification.
- IWMI (International Water Management Institute)minorCo-organizer with Heliopolis University and ICARDA of the Regreening the Desert webinar.
- Knowledge Centre for Organic Agriculture in Africa (KCOA)minorCollaborative country-led partnership commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ); SEKEM participates as Egyptian partner.
- Knowledge Hub for Organic Agriculture North Africa (KHNA)minorSEKEM hosts the North African hub as an international project within the SEKEM initiative.
- OGLAND (Swedish textile brand)minorSwedish textile brand certified with the Economy of Love (EoL) standard alongside SEKEM's NatureTex.
- Sinal do Vale (SINAL), BrazilminorBrazilian partner organization visited by SEKEM's community coordinator to explore adaptation of the SEKEM model.
- SEKEM Freunde Deutschland (association)flagshipGerman supporter association raising donations and operating SEKEM Shop Germany (shop.sekem.com); organizes annual SEKEM Day and other events; partner for SEKEM Freunde Köln events with Freies Bildungswerk Rheinland and Weltladen Köln.
- SEKEM Friends AustriacoreActive Austrian supporter association promoting SEKEM and co-organizing events (e.g., Akademiezentrum / Freie Hochschule Stuttgart, SEKEM Festival 2025 in Graz).
- Akademie für Nachhaltigkeit (Austria)minorCooperation with the Austria-based Akademie für Nachhaltigkeit offering holistic training for managers, entrepreneurs and decision-makers.
- EnrootminorDevelopment consultancy collaborating with Heliopolis University on startup creation.
- Climate Champions / Race to ResiliencecoreSEKEM participated in the Climate Champions 'Food Systems Call to Action' initiative and Helmy Abouleish was a member of the Directive Committee that developed the Declaration for COP28 (signed by 159 countries).
- Future Economy Forum and NOW PartnersminorCollaboration at UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh (December 2024) for greening the desert and combating desertification.
- HOME FOR HUMANITY with World Future CouncilminorSEKEM hosted the official inauguration of the One Home Journey 2024–2030 with HOME FOR HUMANITY and World Future Council at Heliopolis University in April 2024.
- EARA (European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture)minorHelmy Abouleish participated as speaker in EARA's roundtable series on regenerative agriculture.
- IFOAM – Organics InternationalcoreCo-organizer of the Future Policy Award with FAO and World Future Council; Helmy Abouleish served on its jury.
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)coreCo-organizer of the Future Policy Award 2018 at UN FAO Headquarters in Rome; broader policy partner on agroecology.
- LebensbaumcoreGerman organic brand partner; sustainability reporting recognized with first place, supporting SEKEM Wahat pivots.
- Common Land / 4 Returns frameworkminorPlans underway to activate the Ecosystem Research Center in partnership with Common Land and the 4 Returns framework, focusing on sustainable farming practices.
- African Carbon ExchangecoreEgypt's financial regulatory authority set up the African Carbon Exchange on the Egyptian Exchange, where SEKEM smallholder farmers can auction and sell their agricultural carbon credits to local and international companies.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves16 records
Expansion highlights7 records
SEKEM competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Patagonia: Privately-held outdoor apparel company with deep commitment to organic cotton, regenerative agriculture and environmental activism; directly comparable to SEKEM's NatureTex biodynamic textiles arm and Earth-share-style mission governance.
- South Pole: Global carbon credit project developer and corporate climate solutions provider; directly comparable to SEKEM Wahat / Economy of Love carbon credit operations on the supply side, including nature-based and agricultural credit issuance and corporate ESG advisory.
- Nature's Path: Family-owned North American organic cereal and food manufacturer (Arran Stephens), similarly mission-driven around organic regenerative agriculture and organic-only product portfolios; closest like-for-like to SEKEM's ISIS Organic and Atos subsidiaries for whole-system organic food.
- Organic Valley: US farmer-owned organic agricultural cooperative paying smallholder farmers premium prices for organic output; comparable to SEKEM/EBDA's smallholder farmer network, carbon-credit distribution model and sustainability-led brand positioning.
- HiPP (HiPP Family Club): Family-owned European organic baby food manufacturer with decades-long commitment to organic/biodynamic sourcing and farm partnerships; comparable to SEKEM's closed organic value chain and its premium positioning in food categories.
Regional players
- Juhayna Food Industries: Leading Egyptian dairy and juice producer with national distribution; the most direct Egypt-domestic comparable to SEKEM's ISIS Organic food business, with overlapping retail channels and Egyptian consumer base.
- Almarai: Largest vertically integrated dairy and food company in the Middle East/North Africa; regional comparable for SEKEM's Egyptian food and beverage operations given overlapping MENA footprint and large-scale agricultural supply chains, though not organic-focused.
Broad incumbents
- Weleda: Global natural cosmetics and pharmaceuticals company that uses biodynamic raw materials and is a long-standing member of the Demeter network; comparable to SEKEM's Atos pharmaceutical subsidiary for biodynamic pharma and personal-care inputs.
Others
- Verra: Operator of the world's leading voluntary carbon standard (VCS) and adjacent sustainability standards; adjacent to SEKEM's EoL/carbon credit issuance business as an upstream standard-setter whose methodology choices shape demand for agricultural credits.
Emerging players
- Plenty: US-based vertical farming and sustainable agriculture technology company pursuing soil-free, resource-efficient farming at scale; partially comparable to SEKEM's solar-powered pivot irrigation, Scheffler-mirror steam and night-irrigation innovations on the agronomy-engineering axis.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SEKEM social profiles
Digital presenceSEKEM compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
SEKEM financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SEKEM leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
SEKEM subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries11 records
SEKEM funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SEKEM M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SEKEM
What does SEKEM do?
SEKEM operates an integrated biodynamic agriculture and processing value chain producing Demeter-certified organic food, beverages, textiles, pharmaceuticals and herbal products from biodynamic raw materials, sold through its own e-commerce shops in Egypt and Germany. In parallel, SEKEM — together with the Egyptian Biodynamic Association (EBDA) — develops and sells the Economy of Love (EoL) certification standard and whole-system agricultural carbon credits tradable on the African Carbon Exchange, generating additional income for ~5,000 smallholder farmers. The initiative also runs education (Heliopolis University, SEKEM School, Vocational Training Center), healthcare (Medical Center) and the Greening the Desert land-reclamation project.
Is SEKEM a public or private company?
SEKEM is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was SEKEM founded?
SEKEM was founded in 1977. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is SEKEM based?
SEKEM is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt, in the Africa region.
How does SEKEM make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Organic/biodynamic product sales (food, pharmaceuticals, garments) is the primary driver. The others are carbon credit sales (Economy of Love), licensing and certification fees (EoL), donations and crowdfunding and online retail (D2C e-commerce).
Who are SEKEM's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Patagonia, South Pole, Nature's Path, Organic Valley and HiPP (HiPP Family Club). Regional players are Juhayna Food Industries and Almarai. Weleda is listed as a broad incumbent. Verra is listed as an others. Plenty is listed as an emerging player.
Does SEKEM have an API?
No public API is recorded for SEKEM.
What industry is SEKEM in?
SEKEM's product category is Organic Agriculture and Biodynamic Food Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUABAFAG, Soil Carbon & Regenerative Agriculture Removal (Soil Organic Carbon Credits), with a secondary code of EUABABAE, Regenerative Agriculture & Soil Organic Carbon (SOC). Its NAICS code is 325315 and its SIC code is 100.