"Communication was clear from the initial enquiry through to the review of results. The process was handled professionally and the findings were presented in a way that was easy to understand."
Client from Burkina Faso
About Bilex Minerals EA
Independent Gold Testing & Assaying Services
A family business. A testing operation. A stake in the integrity of East Africa's mineral trade.
Who We Are
Who we are
Bilex Minerals EA is an independent gold testing and assaying service established in 2019, with operations in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The company is family-owned and provides supporting services in sourcing, export coordination and exploration across East Africa. We work with private investors, commodity buyers, artisanal miners and international clients who need accurate, documented results handled with discretion. The business was founded by the family that still runs it today, and is now being passed to the next generation to carry forward.
"Communication was straightforward from the initial enquiry through to the review of results. The testing process was clearly explained, and the findings were presented directly to our team. The independent assessment gave us greater confidence when making our next decision."
Precious Metals Buyer
Methods
Our Testing Methods
Bilex Minerals EA performs analytical testing using Fire Assay (Cupellation) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Spectrometry. These methods are used to evaluate gold-bearing and metallic samples according to client requirements.
Fire Assay (Cupellation)
Used to evaluate precious metal content through controlled sample preparation, fusion, cupellation and measurement.
X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Spectrometry
Used for rapid, non-destructive elemental analysis of metallic and gold-bearing samples.
Verification
Certifications
Bilex should only list certifications, accreditation numbers, licenses and registrations that can be verified from current documentation. Public verification documents are made available where appropriate.
Licensed Operations
Bilex Minerals EA maintains the licenses and authorizations required for its areas of operation, including gold testing, assaying, and export-related services where applicable.
Certifications
Accreditation numbers
Licenses
Registrations
Our Team
Certified in-house professionals.
Testing and assaying at Bilex is carried out by in-house staff. No work is presented as outsourced. The testing team works with Fire Assay, XRF analysis, sample preparation and laboratory safety procedures. When a client receives a result from Bilex, it should be tied to the submitted sample, the method used and a clear results record.
Evidence
Laboratory Equipment
Equipment and testing-area imagery helps clients understand the laboratory environment before booking an appointment.
Fire Assay Equipment
- Furnaces
- Cupellation equipment
- Sample preparation area
XRF clip
XRF Equipment
- Handheld XRF analyzer
- Calibration process
- Testing setup
Sample Handling
- Sample weighing
- Client material intake
- Preparation notes
Our Story
Founded in 2019. Built for a reason.
Bilex Minerals EA was founded in 2019, in the period that immediately followed the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. The founding family had seen the mineral trade in East Africa from the inside, and what they saw was a market operating largely without accountability. Fraud was systemic. Buyers could not verify what they were purchasing. Sellers had no independent reference point. Investors were operating on trust alone, and that trust was frequently misplaced. The company was founded to address that directly, not by policy or advocacy, but by providing a service: accurate, independent testing that anyone could access by appointment and leave with a result they could rely on.
A Family Business
Built by a family. Being carried forward by the next.
Bilex is not a corporation. It is a family business, and that distinction matters in how it is run. The standards the company holds, the discretion it extends to every client and the reputation it has built in both Kenya and Tanzania are the direct responsibility of the people whose name is behind it. The next generation is now taking an active role in the company, bringing with them the same standards and a long-term commitment to the work. A family business does not cut corners on its own reputation.
Industry Position
Independent testing in a market that needs it.
Fraud in the East African gold and mineral trade is not a peripheral issue. It affects buyers, legitimate operators and governments alike, and it has done so for years. Bilex operates as a direct counter to that reality. Results are based solely on the material submitted, produced through defined testing methods, with no interest in the transaction surrounding the sample. Bilex supports efforts in Kenya and Tanzania to bring accountability and traceability to the mineral trade, and operates within the applicable regulatory frameworks of both countries.
From the Family
From the family
"We started Bilex because we knew this market needed a place where the result was the only thing that mattered. That has not changed. What has changed is that our children are now part of building what comes next."
"Growing up around this business, you understand early that accuracy is not optional. It is the whole point. That is the standard I intend to keep."
From the Testing Floor
From the testing floor
The people who carry out the work.
Fire Assayer
"Fire assay is the oldest and most reliable method for determining gold content. Every step of the process, from the initial fusion through to the final weighing, has a defined procedure, and that procedure does not change based on what the client hopes the result will be. The number is the number."
XRF Analyst
"XRF gives you a fast, non-destructive read of what is in a sample. It is precise when the equipment is properly calibrated and the operator knows what they are reading. Both of those things are true here. Clients get an accurate result, not an approximation."