Women-led rice cooperative · Upper East, Ghana

Many hands. One harvest.

Local paddy, parboiled by women’s hands, cleaned with care and packed with goodness, from Bolgatanga, Bawku and Navrongo to your table.

Explore our rice Paddy to Plate

Who we are

BBN is a cooperative owned and led by women rice parboilers of the Upper East. We buy paddy at fair, steady prices, process it with care, and put clean, nutritious, fortified rice on the tables of homes and schools across Ghana.

Hands holding clean parboiled rice — Health, held in our hands.

Members of BBN Cooperative — 1,409 women. One cooperative.

Our purpose

Every bag means a steady income for a woman in the Upper East.

That income pays school fees, feeds families, and gives women a stronger voice in their homes and communities.

Read our story →

Impact in numbers

Small grains. Big change.

1,409

women parboilers came together to form BBN

59

farmer-based groups

3

districts: Bolgatanga, Bawku, Navrongo

Feeding the next generation, one plate at a time.

170tonnes

of fortified rice supplied to senior high schools in 2025, with a partner supplier

Our rice

Rice that puts health on your plate.

All products

01

Parboiled Rice

Clean, stone-free, everyday goodness for the family pot.

02

Fortified Rice

Extra micronutrients for growing minds. Trusted by schools.

03

Unpolished Rice

The bran layer kept, for more fibre and natural nutrients.

Paddy to Plate

Follow one grain.

01

Sourcing

Paddy bought from local farmers at fair prices.

02

Soaking

Washed and soaked in clean water.

03

Steaming

Steamed on improved rice-husk stoves.

04

Drying

Spread and turned under the northern sun.

05

Milling

Husk removed, stones and broken grains sorted out.

06

Fortifying

Blended with fortified kernels at Bongo-Bogorogo.

07

Bagging

Weighed, sealed and labelled.

08

Your plate

Healthy, local, made by women’s hands.

See the full journey →

Mission

To improve the living conditions of our members and their households, with special attention to women’s economic empowerment.

Vision

To serve as a model cooperative in the rice value chain, with lasting impact.

Leadership

Led by women, for women.

Meet the team

Put health on your plate.

For homes, shops, caterers and schools. Call, WhatsApp or email us to order.

Order on WhatsApp Request a bulk quote

About us

Stronger together than alone.

BBN facility at Bongo-Bogorogo — Our home at Bongo-Bogorogo.

Our story

1,409

women parboilers from 59 farmer-based groups

BBN Cooperative began with a simple idea: women who parboil rice are stronger together than alone.

In the Upper East Region, parboiling has long been women’s work. It is hard, hot and often poorly paid. Many women worked alone, with smoky stoves and no steady market for what they produced.

With support from SOCODEVI’s PROCED project, about 1,409 women parboilers from 59 Farmer-Based Organisations came together. They came from Bolgatanga, Bawku and Navrongo, the three areas that give BBN its name. They elected their own leaders, adopted their own by-laws, and formed the Upper East BBN Farmers Cooperative Union Limited.

Today BBN is women-led and women-owned. We buy rice from parboilers and farmers across the Upper East, process it hygienically, fortify it, bag it and supply it to homes, schools and institutions across Ghana.

Members adopting the by-laws — Where it began: members adopting our by-laws.

The fortification unit — Our fortification unit, adding nutrients to every batch.

Why it matters

Every bag of BBN rice means a steady income for a woman in the Upper East. That income pays school fees, feeds families and gives women a stronger voice in their homes and communities.

Mission

BBN Cooperative is committed to improving the living conditions of its members and their households. We work with our members to improve women’s empowerment, paying particular attention to their economic activities.

Vision

To serve as a model cooperative in the rice value chain with lasting impact.

Our values

What holds us together.

01

Togetherness

Like the hands in our logo, we hold each other up.

02

Quality

Clean, stone-free rice, processed hygienically.

03

Health

Local, nutritious rice with nothing harmful added.

04

Fairness

Stable prices for the women who supply us.

05

Ownership

Members own the cooperative and shape its decisions.

Our journey

Grain by grain.

2018

The PROCED project begins working with women parboilers in the Upper East.

Founding

Constitutional assembly: leaders elected, by-laws adopted, BBN Cooperative formed.

Training

Over 1,400 parboilers trained in improved, hygienic parboiling.

Stoves

Improved rice-husk parboiling stoves distributed to members.

2025

The rice fortification unit begins operating at Bongo-Bogorogo. Fortified rice reaches schools in Northern Ghana.

Annual General Meeting — Members shaping their cooperative at our AGM.

Training session — Learning better, cleaner ways to parboil.

Leadership

The hands that guide us.

BBN is governed by an elected Board of Directors and run day to day by a professional management team.

Board of Directors

Elected by members.

Management

Running the cooperative.

Our rice

…put health on your plate!

Local rice, parboiled by women’s hands, cleaned with care, packed with goodness.

Clean BBN rice grains — Clean, stone-free, every grain.

Why choose BBN

Five reasons in every bag.

01

Naturally nutritious

Parboiling drives vitamins and minerals from the husk into the grain, so more goodness stays in every bite.

02

Clean and stone-free

Hygienically processed, destoned and sorted. No grit, no stress in the kitchen.

03

Nothing harmful added

Grown and processed in Ghana, with no dangerous additives.

04

Firm, fluffy, full of aroma

Grains stay separate and hold well in jollof, waakye, plain rice and more.

05

Every bag empowers a woman

Your purchase is steady income for a parboiler in the Upper East.

The range

Three rices. One promise.

01

BBN Parboiled Rice

Clean, polished parboiled rice for everyday family meals.

Best for: Everyday family meals
Pack sizes

Order this rice

02

BBN Fortified Rice

Parboiled rice blended with fortified kernels for extra micronutrients.

Best for: Schools, hospitals, families with children
Pack sizes

Order this rice

03

BBN Unpolished Rice

Parboiled rice with the bran layer kept, for more fibre.

Best for: Health-conscious buyers
Pack sizes

Order this rice

In the kitchen

Made for every Ghanaian favourite.

Perfect for jollof.

Waakye, rice and stew, and more.

Plain rice, done right.

How to order

From our cooperative to your door.

Homes and shops

Call or WhatsApp us with the product, quantity and your location.

Schools, caterers and institutions

Contact our Sales and Marketing Manager, Sulla Rudolf Augustine, for bulk supply and pricing.

Who we supply

Households, retailers, caterers, senior high schools and institutions across Ghana.

Order now Request a bulk quote

Paddy to Plate

Follow one grain.

From the fields of the Upper East to your plate, every grain passes through many careful hands.

01 / 08

01

Sourcing the paddy

We buy paddy from local farmers and parboiling groups across the Upper East at fair, stable prices. Good rice starts with good paddy.

02

Cleaning and soaking

The paddy is washed to remove dust and empty grains, then soaked in clean water. Soaking prepares each grain to absorb goodness.

03

Steaming

Our women steam the soaked paddy on improved stoves fuelled by rice husk. This locks nutrients inside the grain and is cleaner and faster than the old way.

04