Max is an aggregator
Max is a twenty-four-year-old aggregator, based in Tanzania. A smallholder farmer’s son who started a local farmer supply shop with two of his friends. The three of them buy seeds from local seed agents who they know since they were young, and from regional farmer markets that they visit once every quarter to buy supplies. Additionally, they collect saved seeds from earlier years and put them in sachets for sale in their shop.
Max has experienced poverty first hand growing up and has vowed to himself that he will become rich and give his future children all the things he never had himself.
Max has had bad experiences with some large seed businesses that tried to have him change his present assortment, and making him and the farmers dependent on one-year yielding seeds for which they had to pay a yearly license fee to continue the use, without having a guarantee for an offset market for the increased volume of crops that came from such seeds. Also, he has been urged to sell seeds in combination with aggressive pesticides that have ruined the soil of the farmlands. Some seeds only work when used in combination with excessive amounts of expensive fertilizers, which most of his customers cannot afford.
Max wants to sell a lot of seeds to farmers in the region. Max, as an entrepreneur, wants to continuously innovate and expand on his assortment, provided that it does not involve too much risk. Max wants to make a lot of money with his shop and do this by providing good and honest services to his customers. Max is very well connected in the community and does not want to compromise the trust that he has built throughout his existence as the community shop.
The 4-7 times better yield results of the distributed improved seeds need to convince the farmer of its benefits. Therefore, Max wants to be equipped with tools and R&D results to assess which seeds are suitable in the specific region. Max further wants to give the farmers access to knowledge and training so that they can actually realize such higher yields (entrepreneurial, agricultural, and other vocational training), and will return to Max for the next purchase of improved seeds. The neighboring effect will lead to more customers as well, if the promised yield is actually realized.
So that Max can greatly expand his assortment of seeds with different varieties, better traits, and more resilience. Thus, expanding his business, making more profits, and providing the local villagers and farmers with nutritious food and giving them the opportunity to make healthy choices for themselves and their families.
Max has experienced poverty first hand growing up and has vowed to himself that he will become rich and give his future children all the things he never had himself.
Max has had bad experiences with some large seed businesses that tried to have him change his present assortment, and making him and the farmers dependent on one-year yielding seeds for which they had to pay a yearly license fee to continue the use, without having a guarantee for an offset market for the increased volume of crops that came from such seeds. Also, he has been urged to sell seeds in combination with aggressive pesticides that have ruined the soil of the farmlands. Some seeds only work when used in combination with excessive amounts of expensive fertilizers, which most of his customers cannot afford.
Max wants to sell a lot of seeds to farmers in the region. Max, as an entrepreneur, wants to continuously innovate and expand on his assortment, provided that it does not involve too much risk. Max wants to make a lot of money with his shop and do this by providing good and honest services to his customers. Max is very well connected in the community and does not want to compromise the trust that he has built throughout his existence as the community shop.
The 4-7 times better yield results of the distributed improved seeds need to convince the farmer of its benefits. Therefore, Max wants to be equipped with tools and R&D results to assess which seeds are suitable in the specific region. Max further wants to give the farmers access to knowledge and training so that they can actually realize such higher yields (entrepreneurial, agricultural, and other vocational training), and will return to Max for the next purchase of improved seeds. The neighboring effect will lead to more customers as well, if the promised yield is actually realized.
So that Max can greatly expand his assortment of seeds with different varieties, better traits, and more resilience. Thus, expanding his business, making more profits, and providing the local villagers and farmers with nutritious food and giving them the opportunity to make healthy choices for themselves and their families.
