The Architect of the Rabbit Empire

As Ghana confronts one of its most urgent crises which is youth unemployment, one man has quietly engineered a revolution from the soil up. At 35, Felix Appiah, the CEO of Trisolace Company Limited, is not just raising rabbits, he’s building an empire of hope, innovation, and economic liberation. From a two-square-meter backyard in Kumasi to a multimillion-dollar agricultural enterprise in Aburi, Felix is reimagining farming for Youth in Ghana.

Felix Appiah, the CEO of Trisolace Company Limited

Agriculture and Empowering Ghana’s Youth

Felix, like thousands of Ghanaian graduates, found himself adrift after completing his civil engineering degree at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. The harsh reality of Ghana’s job market, where connections often trump qualifications, left him disillusioned and propelled him to embark on an unconventional approach to life.

“After national service at AngloGold Ashanti, I watched some of my colleagues get permanent positions because they had uncles or fathers who were well-connected, and I had no rich family member to do the same for me. Felix recalls. “Fortunately, my grandfather was a cocoa farmer; hence, I knew a little about farming. Although this was not what I wanted to pursue, I had limited options, so I decided to venture into farming.”

Felix’s first model for snail farming

What began in 2015 as a desperate experiment with snail farming in a two-square-meter urban backyard has blossomed into a diversified agribusiness worth millions.

“We started by converting student chop boxes into snail habitats. Those makeshift farms weren’t just means of survival; they were our research lab,” he explains.

His innovative approach of distributing free snail boxes to high school graduates provided invaluable data while building a network of urban farmers in Kumasi. With this accumulated data and profits made through the sale of snails, he was able to purchase 38 acres of land a decade later in Aburi and transition into rabbit farming. Today, the 35-year-old CEO of Trisolace Company Limited is not just a millionaire farmer but also on a journey of providing hope for young Ghanaians seeking financial freedom through agriculture.

Why Rabbits? The Silent Goldmine

The transition from snails to rabbits wasn’t merely opportunistic; it was a strategic step to provide youth with a lucrative venture and a sustainable way to monetize even the most obscure spaces.

“I needed an animal that you could rear in the city without inconveniencing others or polluting the environment with odor and rabbits were the perfect fit for urban youth. Unlike poultry, rabbits are quiet, odorless, and thrive in small spaces. Also, every Ghanaian home has five square meters of unused land, which is perfect for rabbits.”  Felix says

The market dynamics have proven Felix’s instincts correct. With rabbit selling at 300 Cedis, a breeding interval of six times yearly, and byproducts like urine used as organic pesticide fetching 70 Cedis per gallon, the economics are compelling.

“We’re not just farming rabbits; we’re manufacturing multiple revenue streams from a single animal, which is the ideal model of revenue generation. Most people often underestimate rabbits, but they are remarkably intelligent. They self-regulate pregnancies, absorbing fetuses in harsh conditions, and perform C-sections instinctively. They’re also hygienic, rivaling cats in cleanliness; hence, you can apply their fecal matter to the soil directly as manure. Nothing gets wasted with rabbits.” he asserts

Building an Agricultural Movement Beyond the Farmland

Felix’s vision extends beyond farming. A distinguishing feature of his operation is the ecosystem approach. Recognizing that land and startup capital remain formidable barriers, he’s created multiple entry points for aspiring agripreneurs through the Agregate.farm digital platform, which represents his most ambitious outreach.

“COVID-19 taught us that physical training has limits,” he stated. “The portal now offers professional certification courses in rabbit husbandry, complete with video tutorials, disease management modules, and market access guides. Over 3,000 users currently train through the system, with snail and rabbit courses being the most popular.”

For urban youth with capital constraints, Felix has pioneered a micro-investment scheme allowing participation with just 1,000 Cedis, yielding 30% returns annually.

“It’s agricultural democratization. Anybody can invest and make a profit without getting their hands dirty. We’re poaching people from 9-to-5 jobs into agriculture,” he explains.

The program has already attracted over 500 investors, with many reinvesting their dividends into starter kits. Perhaps the most innovative is his urban farming starter package, a complete rabbitry-in-a-box containing a breeding pair, compact hutch, and training manual.

“We have eliminated every excuse. If you have five square meters of land and 800 Cedis, you’re in business,” Felix states proudly.

Adjoa Oforiwa, a beneficiary of Felix’s mentorship

The Ripple Effect: Transforming Lives

The true measure of Felix’s impact emerges not just in profit margins, but in the quiet revolutions he has sparked in the lives of those he mentors. Among them is Adjoa Oforiwa, young communications graduate whose journey from self-doubt to confidence mirrors the transformative power of Felix’s unconventional approach to mentorship.

“When I first approached Felix about joining his team, he looked at me and said, ‘Why do you want to work on a farm? Because most educated women do not like entering into farming,'” Adjoa recalls with a laugh.

But where others might have been deterred, Adjoa persisted. After three months of closed discussions, she became one of Felix’s key team members, working remotely while shuttling between Accra and the farm in Aburi on the micro-share investment initiative. For Adjoa, the impact has been profound.

“Before this, I was the shy type, the kind of person who couldn’t even stand in front of a camera, despite dreaming of being on TV one day,” she admits. “But Felix’s hands-on mentorship pushed me beyond those limits. He doesn’t just give you tasks; he throws you into the deep end and teaches you how to swim. ‘Go meet this person. Convince them and Bring them on board.'”

Through Felix’s mentorship, Adjoa and countless others are not just participants in an agricultural revolution; they are proof of its power to reshape lives, redefine careers, and rewrite the narrative of farming.

Rabbit as Ghana’s Next Protein Staple

Felix’s ambitions transcend personal success. With Ghana’s meat import bill exceeding $400 million annually, he sees domestic rabbit production as both an economic and food security solution.

“We’re working with the FDA on prepackaged rabbit meat products. Imagine walking into Shoprite and seeing rabbit sausages or smoked rabbit slices.”  he reveals

Established partnerships with the Chop Bar Association are already introducing rabbit meat to traditional eateries, with surprising reception from local consumers.

Felix showing me his 38 acres farm

Reimagining Agriculture’s Place in Ghana’s Future

His ultimate goal is to make rabbit farming commonplace in Ghana. In his vision, agriculture is not a fallback for survival; it is the cutting edge of Ghana’s economic transformation. And with thousands of rabbits multiplying each day, that future may arrive sooner than anyone expects hence, the youth must brace themselves for this new market.