Mr. Yariv Kedar
Cereals Magazine: Since Inception, Briefly discuss GreenArava
Yariv: When we started GreenArava, the company was predominantly known for Galana Kulalu. We were very much a, one-product business. Immediately, we did a critical analysis of the business to see where to from here, and it was quite clear that we needed to expand our base in terms of product range, branding, and channels of sale.
We made sure that we had a good, strong brand, and the idea was to grow the GreenArava brand and move it interstate through the normal market channel and also through the alternative market and the independent market. That was probably the first major step for us in getting ourselves known across the region.
The other key strategy was product portfolio expansion. There were clearly a number of opportunities in the value-added, agricultural product category—whether that’s with designs, development or implementing turnkey agricultural projects, as well as a whole bunch of other opportunities that hadn’t been thought about. We ventured in water and sanitation, greenhouse technology, crop protection, trainings and consultancy, small and medium level irrigation projects. Immediately, we started our value-added business and we have been quietly growing that in the background.
Cereals Magazine: Discuss your operations.
Yariv: GreenArava has invested heavily on the most advanced agricultural technologies. The secret behind it is simple: We strive every day to handle our living products, ensuring quality production for food safety, and the production line more effectively, using the most advanced and innovative methods that can inspire us. This pursuit for improvement goes through everything we have done from the very beginning.
Cereals Magazine: Briefly discuss what makes GreenArava Kenya Ltd different from others
Yariv: From inception, we cemented the company values: respect and trust, responsibility to the environment, constant development and quality, and transparency and ethics.
I regard this scale of agricultural investment as a people business. I like is listening to people and offering them solution; I want to see how people think and feel. I don’t have all the answers in quality food production, but I hope it makes me more humble, listening to other people’s ideas and knowledge.
I’m also very much interested in seeing how other people are doing. That is actually how I’ve learned to develop myself; it’s not so much by studying, rather learning by doing and listening to other people and their experiences.
Cereals Magazine: How do these values encourage relationship within the company?
Yariv: The values that really differentiate us from many competitors are not only the constant focus on development but also the respect and transparency. What is very important for us, and has always been, is that you keep both legs on the ground, be visible as the chairman of the company, and communicate, also meaning that there are no people more important than the others—the lowest ranked people you have beneath you as well as the CEO in the company.
So we try to have a very flat organisation, respecting each other and also respecting our products. That’s also a cultural challenge.”
Cereals Magazine: Briefly discuss your dayto- day operations
Yariv: To give ownership and responsibility to our employees is something that has been there from the beginning. I can’t do everything alone, so when you have a person that is interested in taking on more, I gladly give more and more responsibility to those people and let them develop themselves and the organisation they’re working in. Most of our people have been with us since inception. We don’t have a high turnover, particularly in top management. In our operations, we have invested in local managers who have all responsibilities—and possibilities.
Cereals Magazine: Farming touches environment, briefly discus your environmental policy.
Yariv: It is important to note how environmental issues are to GreenArava and how seriously the company approaches them. I would say there are three things that are very important in our company. The first is people, then the environment, and then customer welfare. The last two are things that we’re working on under local rules. We are always working at the highest level possible because sometimes the local rules are a bit stricter, so we’re always working at the minimal crossborder standards. The requirements are getting harder and harder, but we’ve invested in new, often advanced, solutions since the beginning.
Cereals Magazine: How have you drawn on your own longevity and more than three decades of experience in agriculture?
Yariv: We have a unique model in our business. We ensure that our customers are farming as efficiently and as effectively as they can so that they can put affordable food on the table. Their job is to ensure that a good-quality product gets into the market.
Cereals Magazine: That leads into my next question: how have you nurtured relationships with your suppliers and partners?
Yariv: We strive to have very strong relationships with our suppliers, as they play a key role in the success of our business. Our largest supply base is obviously multinationals; but we do have other companies, such as our office requirements suppliers, our packaging suppliers, and our service providers.
Our suppliers are an integral part of our wider team, and we put a lot of focus on ensuring that they understand what we need and where we’re heading so that they themselves can plan ahead for our future as well. So it’s very important that we have that two-way communication where they understand what our future requirements are and we work with them on those requirements.
Cereals Magazine: What’s your short- and long-term vision for GreenArava?
Yariv: Our short-term focus currently is focusing on maintaining and keeping supply up. Outside of that, we’re also focusing on growing our value-added products business and expanding our channels of sale.
In the longer term, we are 100-per-cent focused on developing products through the value-added range that consumers want. We are always researching the marketplace on what the emerging trends are. Our goal is to launch products to meet those needs. The specific need at the moment is food safety and security.
Cereals Magazine: And before we conclude, briefly tell us who is Yariv Kedar
Since his arrival to Kenya, Kedar played a key role as a market leader in the agricultural sector. He introduced strategies and innovations geared towards uplifting the Kenyan farmers, among them, Youth and women Groups. While at Amiran (K) Ltd, Kedar and his team developed a different innovative approach, “The Farmers Kit”: It’s a “package” that offers a comprehensive solution to the small-scale growers.
When purchasing the “Farmers Kit” he /she receive the 3 pillars needed for success;
- The Knowledge- through Training.
- Do howthrough field coaching
- High-quality Inputs -a full package of all adjusted to the farmer’s needs (e.g. Hybrid seeds, gravity drip system, fertilizers, Green house etc.).
All this adjusting the kit size to the farmers’ financial capacity, without compromising on inputs quality. This holistic agribusiness approach has been adopted in Kenya and many places in Africa. It improved many lives of individuals and families.
Kedar and his team worked closely with various partners who have taken up his innovation among them; Private sector, donor community, UN organizations, Governments and more. Many Organizations appreciated and valued the innovative and originality of the “Farmers Kit”: The UNDP Trust Fund (United Nations Development Program) awarded this innovation some prizes along the years for achievements towards the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals).
Among the numerous awards the kit won are, 2010- Award towards Eradication of Extreme Poverty and Hunger, 2011-Award towards Youth Empowerment, 2013- Champion of the Year Award, 2015- The Award of Excellence, Innovation in Agriculture, by the Africa Development, “ADM Warrior Award and 2018- Award for changing lives in the developing world – positive impact private sector (By SID Society for International development).
The relations of Kedar to Africa started at his childhood when he lived in Tanzania. There he developed interest in the area, observing his father who was sent by the Israeli government to develop agriculture in the country. That is when the “Africa bug” got into Kedar’s soul.
Prior to his arrival in Kenya, Yariv worked for the Multinational agrochemical company Makhteshim Agan (ADAMA) ISRAEL, for 19 years; serving as a Field Agronomist and Product development Manager. Kedar was sent to Brazil as the Development & Technical Director in Latin America, after which he was the group’s Global Herbicides Development and Marketing Director.
In the Mid 80’s, he lived in Zambia and was the Irrigation & Crop Protection Manager, at the largest international irrigation project in the country. Joining GreenArava Kedar brought with him his vast experience that integrates well in the company’s focus of doing professional food security and capacity building projects.
Kedar’s Motto for success is; “Don’t cut corners”.
Cereals Magazine: Discuss your future plans
Yariv: Taking a strong focus on the environment helps ensure GreenArava’s future as a business and as a corporate citizen. The organisation continues to expand in Kenya and increase its footprint within the region. Our focus is on constantly developing and optimising our production results in a lot of internal training for our people.