I recently visited an interesting dairy farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Our friends knew that I had a farming background and loved good ice cream so after attending a cattle auction, we drove through the autumn countryside to the Lapp Valley Farms, a family owned business which produces milk and cream for a top quality ice cream and other products of the milk.
I was intrigued with the posters on the wall as we observed milking time in the spotless barn. I immediately thought of entrepreneurship, good business and business with a mission. Note the photo of one of the posters, and its six bullet points. My thoughts on these values:
- They are committed to the local community and creating jobs for them.
- Their product is marked by high quality; they are proud of the high levels of protein and calcium in their milk.
- They are environmentally careful and do not use unnatural products such as hormones.
- As good business people they know what the customers want.
- Visitors observe a cleanliness value indicating a commitment to excellence.
- They desire to bless their customers and place high value on honoring their Lord with all activities.
All that I observed that day demonstrated a model business in Pennsylvania which is transferable to overseas operations which are similar in nature. The farm operation:
- Is sustainable and profitable;
- Is creating value for the community through a quality product and job creation;
- Values and works toward spiritual capital and service;
- Respects the environment and protects the product.
Through our travels and meetings with other BAM-focused organizations and individuals, we see a huge need for BAM agribusinesses, especially in the 10:40 window countries where IBEC focuses. We believe that helping to apply these principles and business models to emerging BAM agribusinesses around the world is a worthwhile endeavor and we’re grateful for the growing number of partners and consultants coming alongside us to do just that. If you have agribusiness expertise that you could share with emerging market BAM entrepreneurs, we would appreciate connecting with you; just send me an email at larry.sharp@ibecventures.com. Or if you know someone who might be interested in working with us on agribusiness projects, please share this using the share buttons below.
Larry Sharp, Director of Training, IBEC Ventures
larry.sharp@ibecventures.com