Leadership Team

Nirav Patel

Chief Executive Officer

Nirav Patel has been appointed CEO of NatureLock Foods on May 1st 2022. He previously founded and led Simply Foods Ltd. The company created Kenya’s first finger millet based and instant porridge product, Uji Mara Moja. In this capacity he set up a world-class factory in Nairobi using extrusion technology. He then launched the product at major retail outlets across Kenya.

For the past two years, he has overseen Sunny Processors Ltd’s mango pulping and bottled juice business as General Manager. While at Sunny Processors Ltd. Nirav increased mango pulp production output and sales by 40% as well as bottled juice from 2021 to 2022. He received BSc (Hons) in E Commerce and Digital Business from the University of
Nottingham in 2003.

Tei Mukunya Oundo

Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder

Before NatureLock, Tei founded Azuri Health Ltd in 2010, operating from Thika, with the objective to make premium fruit and porridges, whilst making a contribution to fighting extreme post-harvest loss, particularly in the fruit sector.

Being a social entrepreneur, Tei built a network of 3,500 fruit farmers. Prior to Azuri Health she worked with development organizations such as GIZ, SNV and USAID to improve smallholder farmer value chains. She started her professional career at British American Tobacco, in marketing roles for East Africa and the Horn of Africa.

Joris de Vries

Director

Joris is an experienced impact investor with ties to East Africa going back to his teenage years. Since 2012, he has managed a privately held impact investment fund with an exclusive focus on capitalizing early stage, Tanzanian and Kenyan companies. He has achieved investment deals with 20+ companies that are working towards a better world.

These companies are in such diverse sectors like forestry, agriculture and agro-processing, and essential services, including health care, housing education and transportation. Joris draws on a diverse background ranging from a career in the private sector with a global pharmaceutical company to rural development initiatives around Africa. He sits on numerous company boards and advisory boards.

Willem (Wilco) Vermeer

Co-Founder / New Ventures Officer

Before NatureLock, Wilco was the founder and Managing Director of TuttiFoodi in the Netherlands, started in 2016 with the objective to apply a new preservation process in the Dutch agricultural sector. Through a co-operation with the Wageningen University, Wilco shifted his interest towards applying the new process in East Africa.

Before starting TuttiFoodi, Wilco was a global brand director for Nestea at BPW-a joint venture between Nestlé and The Coca Cola Company. Prior to this he had a 26 years corporate career, with international leadership positions in Symrise and Unilever.