A Conversation with Pax Herbals' Father Anselm Adodo

Pax Herbals, situated a two-hour drive outside of Benin City, in the Ewu-Esan local government area of Edo State is, perhaps, not the location you would expect to find one of the state’s largest private sector employers. But from a wooden hut, constructed adjacent to the neighbouring monastery in 1996, Pax Herbals has evolved to employ more than 120 full-time staff across the supply chain—from growers and factory workers, to biologists and engineers. Factor in more than 1,000 distributors who help sell the products in over two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states and the scale of the enterprise becomes clear. It’s a made in Nigeria success story and one that has prospered along with the local community rather than at its expense.

The role and importance of the local community is underpinned by a theory of “communitalism” developed by Pax Herbals’ founder and director, Father Anselm Adodo. A framework in which he argues capitalism must do more to have a conscience; to care for the local environment and community. This philosophical grounding has driven the running of the company when it comes to issues such as staff welfare. Employees are entitled to paid sick leave; incentivised by individually tailored bonus schemes; and have regular dialogue with senior management to air any grievances. Recognition that profits still need to be made is balanced against that happening at the expense of workers. “The challenge we have moving forward is that consumer demand is greater than our supply capacity” says Adodo, who is exploring avenues for expansion but cautiously, “we won’t be rushed into finding investors. To be the right fit they will, first and foremost, have to buy into our philosophy of doing business”. That means ensuring the viability, sustainability and quality of the product is not compromised.