Part I
Where SAKALA Is Today
30 rabbits in tire cages. Self-taught. Ready for the real thing.
SAKALA has 30 rabbits at Site 0 in Cite Soleil. The youth built tire cages from recycled materials. They manage breeding, feeding, and basic husbandry... all self-taught. Revenue from local meat sales: $350-450/month. It works. But it is amateur-hour compared to what Makouti has built.
There is no formal breeding program. No genetic selection. No veterinary protocol beyond basic observation. No certification of any kind. No value-added processing. The rabbits produce meat that sells locally, and that is the ceiling without a partner who has built what we have not.
| Current SAKALA Rabbit Operation | Status |
|---|
| Breeding stock | 30 rabbits (mixed, unselected genetics) |
| Housing | Tire cages, recycled materials |
| Feed | Moringa leaves + local forage (no formulated ration) |
| Training | Self-taught by youth |
| Certification | None |
| Revenue | $350-450/month (local meat sales only) |
| Value-added products | None (whole carcass only) |
The honest assessment: SAKALA's rabbit operation is proof of concept. Youth are motivated, the moringa-fed rabbit concept is sound, and there is clear demand. But without Makouti's breeding expertise, training infrastructure, and network scale, the operation stays at 30 rabbits in tire cages producing $400/month. That is not a business. That is a hobby with potential.
Part II
What Makouti Brings
1,700 producers. 32,650 breeding rabbits. The network SAKALA needs.
Benito Jasmin built something remarkable. Makouti Agro Enterprise is not a small farm operation... it is an entire rabbit production network operating across Haiti.
| Makouti Asset | Value to SAKALA |
|---|
| 1,700-producer network | Proven model for scaling rabbit production across multiple sites and regions. Exactly what SAKALA needs to replicate. |
| 32,650 breeding rabbits | Genetic diversity, selected breeding lines, productive stock. SAKALA's 30 unselected rabbits cannot compete. |
| Training technicians | Makouti has staff who train new producers. SAKALA needs this expertise at 344 sites... cannot self-teach at scale. |
| Breeding stock supply at $3.50-5.00 each | Affordable entry. A SAKALA franchise can launch rabbit operations with 10-20 breeding does for $35-100. No barrier. |
| Certification pathway (4-6 months) | Makouti can certify SAKALA youth as trained rabbit producers. Credibility for institutional procurement. |
| Feed formulation expertise | Optimized rations using local ingredients. SAKALA's moringa surplus becomes a competitive advantage in feed quality. |
The moringa connection: SAKALA's primary crop is moringa, operational at 8 of 10 active sites. Moringa leaves are among the highest-protein plant feeds available for rabbits. SAKALA grows the feed. Makouti provides the breeding stock and training. The integration is natural... the cooperative already produces what the rabbits eat.
Part III
The Rabbit Jerky Opportunity
One global competitor. $117/lb. We enter at $10-12/bag.
This is the number that changes the conversation.
There is currently ONE rabbit jerky producer operating at any commercial scale globally: Rickey's World Famous Jerky, selling at approximately $117 per pound. That is not a typo. One hundred seventeen dollars per pound. Boutique, exotic, novelty pricing.
SAKALA enters this market at $10-12 per bag. Moringa-fed, organic, cooperative-produced rabbit jerky in every Harvest Box shipped to 975,000 mapped diaspora consumers. The margin structure is extraordinary:
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|
| Global competitors | 1 (Rickey's) | Essentially uncontested market |
| Rickey's price point | ~$117/lb | Boutique exotic novelty |
| SAKALA price point | $10-12/bag | Accessible, Harvest Box inclusion |
| Gross margin | 77-81% | Low feed cost (moringa grown on-site), cooperative labor |
| Feed cost | Near zero | Moringa leaves from SAKALA's own nurseries |
| Harvest Box inclusion | Every quarterly box | 975,000 diaspora consumers, $90/quarter subscription |
Why the margin is real: Rabbit has the highest feed conversion ratio of any livestock suitable for urban and peri-urban Haiti (6:1 vs 8:1 for poultry). Gestation is 30 days. Litter size: 8-12 kits. Moringa... SAKALA's anchor crop... is one of the highest-protein plant feeds available. The cooperative grows the feed, breeds the rabbits, processes the jerky, and sells it through its own subscription channel. No middleman at any stage. The 77-81% margin is structural, not aspirational.
Part IV
The Combined Network
Makouti's 1,700 + SAKALA's 3,440 = 5,140 rabbit farmers
When Makouti's existing producer network integrates with SAKALA's franchise system, the numbers become Caribbean-scale:
| Metric | Makouti Alone | SAKALA Alone | Combined |
|---|
| Producers/Youth | 1,700 | 3,440 (at scale) | 5,140 |
| Breeding Rabbits | 32,650 | 30 | 32,680+ |
| Training Infrastructure | Established | None (self-taught) | Makouti-certified network |
| Feed Supply | Local sourcing | Moringa surplus (8 sites) | Integrated moringa-fed system |
| Processing | Meat sales | Meat sales | Meat + jerky + breeding stock |
| Distribution | Local markets | Harvest Box + diaspora | Local + diaspora + institutional |
| Geographic Coverage | Makouti regions | 7 departments | National |
What "largest cooperative rabbit network in the Caribbean" means: There is no comparable structure anywhere in the Caribbean. 5,140 farmers producing moringa-fed rabbit across a national franchise network with cooperative ownership, diaspora market access, and an export-grade value-added product (jerky) that has essentially no global competition. This is not incremental improvement. This is a new category.
Part V
Without You / With You / Goldmine
What changes when Makouti is in the network
Without Makouti
SAKALA without Makouti:
30 rabbits in tire cages. Self-taught youth doing their best with no formal training, no breeding program, no genetic selection, no certification.
Revenue: $350-450/month from local meat sales. Whole carcass only. No value-added products. No jerky. No breeding stock sales.
No pathway to institutional procurement. No certification that any buyer would recognize. No ability to guarantee quality, breed consistency, or production volume at any scale beyond one site.
With Makouti
SAKALA with Makouti:
1,700-producer network. 32,650 breeding rabbits. Training technicians who certify SAKALA youth in 4-6 months. Breeding stock available at $3.50-5.00 each... every SAKALA franchise can launch rabbit operations for under $100.
SAKALA becomes a Makouti network node. Not a standalone amateur operation. A certified, trained, quality-controlled producer within the largest rabbit network in Haiti.
Revenue: $600-840/month per site. Meat ($350-450) plus jerky ($150-250) plus breeding stock sales ($100-140). Triple the revenue streams from the same rabbits.
Plus: only ONE rabbit jerky competitor globally (Rickey's at $117/lb). SAKALA enters at $10-12/bag with 77-81% margin. Moringa-fed, organic, cooperative-produced. In every Harvest Box.
| Metric | Without Makouti | With Makouti |
|---|
| Breeding Stock | 30 (unselected) | Access to 32,650+ (selected lines) |
| Training | Self-taught | Makouti-certified (4-6 months) |
| Monthly Revenue (per site) | $350-450 | $600-840 |
| Revenue Streams | 1 (local meat) | 3 (meat + jerky + breeding stock) |
| Jerky Product | None | $10-12/bag, 77-81% margin |
| Breeding Stock Sales | $0 | $100-140/month |
| Certification | None | Makouti-certified producer |
| Institutional Procurement | Not possible | Certified, quality-controlled |
| Global Competition (jerky) | N/A | 1 competitor at $117/lb |
The Goldmine
344 franchises with rabbit operations = largest cooperative rabbit network in the Caribbean.
Makouti's 1,700 producers plus SAKALA's 3,440 youth equals 5,140 rabbit farmers. Moringa-fed. Organic. Cooperative-owned. Certified by the network that trained them.
Rabbit jerky in every Harvest Box. 975,000 diaspora consumers receiving quarterly subscriptions. Each box contains moringa-fed rabbit jerky from youth-owned cooperatives. The only product in the market at $10-12/bag when the sole competitor charges $117/lb.
Protein self-sufficiency for Haiti. Rabbit has the highest feed conversion ratio of any appropriate livestock (6:1). 30-day gestation. 8-12 kits per litter. Moringa... SAKALA's anchor crop... is the feed. The cooperative grows what the rabbits eat and sells what the rabbits produce. A closed loop at 344 sites across 7 departments.
Breeding stock as a revenue stream. Every SAKALA site that reaches certification becomes a Makouti distribution node for breeding stock. The network sells the capacity to expand itself.
Benito, you built a 1,700-producer rabbit network in Haiti. Nobody else has done that. SAKALA has 344 franchise sites with moringa surplus, cooperative ownership, diaspora market access, and a subscription channel that puts products directly in consumer hands.
Your network trained them. Our network distributes what they produce. Together: 5,140 farmers and the Caribbean's first cooperative rabbit economy.
Part VI
Who We Are
The team behind the network
Daniel Tillias
Co-Founder & Board Member, SAKALA
CNN Hero 2019. Founded SAKALA in Cite Soleil in 2006. 20 years of uninterrupted presence. Built 25 sites across 7 departments. The rabbits at Site 0 are his youth's initiative... they asked, he built. Now they need a real partner.
Wesley Bertil
Strategic Capacity & Research
BARSS LLC. Forensic economist. Designed the cooperative franchise architecture, financial models, and Harvest Box logistics. Found the rabbit jerky market gap. Haitian-American. Based in Delaware.
Part VII
The Ask
What we need from Makouti
| Ask | What It Unlocks |
|---|
| Breeding stock supply (initial 100-200 does) | At $3.50-5.00 each = $350-1,000 total investment. Seeds rabbit operations across first 10 active sites. |
| Training technician visits to SAKALA sites | Makouti trainers certify SAKALA youth. Standardized husbandry, breeding, health protocols across all sites. |
| Certification pathway for SAKALA youth | 4-6 month program. Youth graduate as Makouti-certified producers. Credibility for institutional procurement. |
| Feed formulation protocol | Optimized ration using SAKALA's moringa surplus + local ingredients. Feed cost approaches zero. |
| Joint branding on rabbit jerky | Makouti + SAKALA co-branded jerky in every Harvest Box. Both networks benefit from diaspora market access. |
| Network integration agreement | SAKALA franchise sites become Makouti distribution nodes for breeding stock. Revenue sharing on stock sales. |
Benito.
You built a 1,700-producer rabbit network in Haiti. That is an achievement most agricultural development programs spend tens of millions failing to accomplish. 32,650 breeding rabbits. Training infrastructure. Certified producers.
SAKALA has 344 franchise sites, 4,472 youth at full scale, moringa growing at 8 sites, a diaspora subscription channel serving 975,000 mapped consumers, and 30 rabbits in tire cages that prove the motivation is there even without the expertise.
The expertise is yours. The network is ours. The market... rabbit jerky with one global competitor at $117/lb... is waiting for both of us.
— Wesley