Welcoming Tiabam to our family of banana estates in Côte d'Ivoire
Through our subsidiary Plantations J. Eglin, we are expanding our banana operations in Côte d'Ivoire with the purchase of Tiabam — a banana plantation located in the Tiassalé region. Tiabam’s operations are located nearby our Akoudjé estate.
The deal, which is expected to be completed later this month, will bring SIPEF’s family of estates in the southern Lagunes region to six.
GLOBALG.A.P. and Rainforest Alliance certified, the Tiassalé plantation consists of around 450 hectares, 320 of which are in production. Its annual banana production ranges between 12 000 and 14 000 tonnes, with more than 70% exported to the European market and the remainder supplied to other African regions and the domestic market.
By adding the Tiassalé plantation to our existing 1 238 hectares of banana plantations — which, in 2025, produced 52 159 tonnes of bananas — we hope to further increase its productivity through crop optimisation and targeted capital investment.
SIPEF managing director, Petra Meekers, says the Tiassalé plantation’s proximity to Akoudjé will allow Plantations J. Eglin to build additional scale and facilitate operational synergies across procurement, logistics, and export activities, as well as the application of SIPEF's Best Management Practices. “SIPEF believes in the growth potential of bananas as an affordable, nutritious staple food with resilient consumer demand. This acquisition will strengthen our banana production base and allow the Group to selectively diversify alongside palm products. By leveraging this opportunity to increase volumes, optimise efficiencies, and successfully integrate Tiabam and Plantations J. Eglin, we aim to grow our total banana production to approximately 70 000 tonnes, while delivering sustainable growth for both SIPEF and the communities in which we operate.”
Better together
Plantations J. Eglin’s director general, Charles De Wulf, says teams at SIPEF’s Akoudjé plantation are looking forward to welcoming their new colleagues. "Our Akoudjé plantation's newly developed area delivered outstanding results in 2025, with production increasing by 48.7%. As it reaches full potential, we're looking forward to working together with our new colleagues from Tiabam and discovering how we can learn from each other to help drive continuous improvement.”
Alongside growing production and working closely with Tiabam’s employees, we are committed to building on Tiabam's positive relationship with the communities surrounding the Tiassalé plantation. Existing social facilities will be retained and reviewed, with planned investments to progressively improve housing and clinics where needed.
SIPEF will look to ensure continuity at Tiassalé operations, while we align the newly acquired plantation’s standards with our own industry-leading benchmarks. This will include prioritised investment in health and safety, irrigation, equipment, and replanting initiatives, where required.