To purchase Elephant Pepper Products visit their online store!

The Elephant Pepper Vision is a world where African farmers lead productive healthy lives, free from poverty and where human and elephant populations coexist in harmony. The conservation challenge is that Elephants eat small-scale farmers’ crops which are often the only food available in rural communities. This conflict between farmers and elephants leads to heated battles, with death and injury often occurring on both sides. In addition poor people cannot afford to be conservationists without some support.  This Wildlife Friendly® enterprise provides a cash crop income to poor rural communities by producing chili products using chilies grown by these farmers. 

Elephant Pepper’s non profit arm is the Elephant Pepper Development Trust which trains farmers to use non-lethal chili deterrents rather than injuring or killing elephants. Farmers surround their food crops with a buffer of chili plants and because Elephants hate the smell and taste of chilies they can be used as a natural deterrent. Elephants soon learn that the smell of chili means humans, spicy discomfort and a non-edible crop. This simple approach helps deter elephants from raiding crops, avoiding the conflict before it happens. 

Elephant Pepper PTY Ltd. and rural farmers work collaboratively under a shared vision of wildlife conservation and sustainable economic developmentby bringing financial, social and environmental benefits to its stakeholders; and by linking farmers to global markets and raising awareness around successful approaches to wildlife conflict mitigation. In addition, since its inception, Elephant Pepper PTY Ltd. has been committed to the goals of fair trade, equal opportunities for women, and economic and environmental stability for rural Africans.  As part of that commitment, the Elephant Pepper Development Trust spends a significant proportion of its time providing specialist training ranging from agricultural skills, HIV/AIDS awareness and conservation farming in addition to supporting education projects for participants and their families.

Elephant Pepper PTY Ltd produces two varieties of pepper sauces as well as four spice grinders that mix chili peppers with a variety of spices to create unique flavors.   Elephant Pepper sells it products in retail outlets in southern Africa, including the international airport in Johannesburg and through mail order.  Recently Elephant Pepper products gained shelf space in Whole Foods Markets and other food specialty retailers in the USA.