We are growing

What does sustainable growth mean?
Adrian Wiedmer: Growth is a principle of life. Everything that lives grows, and even when nothing seems to be happening, organisms are constantly renewing themselves.

Companies grow on the one hand to be able to bear rising costs. But on the other hand above all because people demand the offered products and services. Companies with high demand grow, others disappear.

If the products are chosen for the right reasons, for example because they use fewer resources or are more social than others, then sustainable growth arises. A practical example: If a gebana orange is bought instead of a conventional orange, gebana grows, a conventional company shrinks and the world becomes a bit more sustainable.

Why is growth so important for gebana?
Adrian: gebana wants to create market access for smallholder farmers and connect customers and farmers in a network – worldwide directly from the farm!

For this we often work in very risky regions and countries and try to establish businesses where most conventional actors do not dare to go. Added to this is the risk factor of nature: it is unpredictable and causes harvest volumes and prices to fluctuate significantly at times.

To better spread these risks and to design our structure in a way that does justice to this complexity through division of labor, we need a certain size. Only in this way is it possible to compensate potential losses in one place with profits in another.

World map in higher resolution

What has already happened?
Adrian: gebana has developed enormously since the last crisis of 2009–2012. One of the most important lessons from that time of crisis was that we are more resilient than we thought – because we are part of a strong network and our work is valued and supported by many. That gave us new courage and a new sense of self.

We realized that our concept works. Now the task is to multiply it. For this purpose we have developed a plan for how we can grow together with partners and strengthen each other. All for the one common purpose.

What impact does this have on the smallholder farmers and the employees in the processing facilities?
Adrian: Primarily, we can now work with more farmers and also hire more people. This is especially important in places where there is otherwise very little work.

Our growth gives us more courage to invest, for example in a new warehouse for cocoa beans in Togo. In addition to quality improvements and the associated added value on site, we also want to invest more in improving working conditions and safety in the future.

How will gebana change as a result?
Adrian: gebana is structuring and professionalizing itself. More and more people are taking on greater responsibility in various areas. It is especially important to us to preserve our values despite increasing size. For this purpose, we continually try to question our decisions in dialogue with our producers, employees and customers.

How should growth continue?
Adrian: Regarding the locations in the south, we are looking for a balance between the principle “small is beautiful” and the necessity to grow to a size suited to the specific product and region. This ideal size allows locally efficient operations, and any potential loss remains bearable for gebana.

For future growth we therefore want to spread the risk by operating in more locations, improving structures and processes, and hiring even more well-trained staff.

What are the biggest challenges for gebana?
Adrian: First, we must not 'overheat'. Although we are a very good, we are a small team and both the workload and the costs must remain in balance. Second, we need to become more profitable, because otherwise growth leads to increased debt and thus more instability. Third, we must ensure that gebana's values and direction are preserved. After all, they are the reason why our customers, producers, employees and investors support us.

What goal has gebana set for itself?
Adrian: Our dream is to become a truly large and well-functioning “market-access network”, in which tens of thousands of farmers supply hundreds of thousands of end customers as well as the best shops, supermarkets and processors. This should make trade somewhat fairer, cultivation and the supply chain somewhat more sustainable, and customers receive higher-quality products.