Reading Copy Book Blog

Frigoken fields, the factory, and the

Aga Khan hospital and Nursing Campus

On day four I woke up in the Serena hotel – I felt more refreshed than the night before, but was still definitely jetlagged from crossing so many time zones! I ate a quick breakfast (what amazing fresh fruit and juices!) and we headed out the door and onto our now familiar safari buses.

We were on our way to a land coop called ‘Frigoken’. This was our first day visiting one of the for-profit businesses that is part of the Aga Khan Development Network. The for-profit businesses fall under the fund for economic development. I had many questions about how the for-profit businesses relate to the concept of ‘Aid’ and will do my best to explain based on the answers I received.

If you’re wondering “how can a profit generating business constitute aid?” or “if it makes money is the local culture being taken advantage of?” then you’re on the same page I was. I had so many questions and am thankful for all the bright minds I was traveling with who could better phrase these questions than me!

So, what is Frigoken? How do they make money? How is this good for the local culture? And, why is big business a necessity? Let me do my best to try to explain…

Frigoken means ‘refrigerated and canned’ and this business falls under Industrial Promotional Services, one of AKFED’s five major branches. The five for-profit branches are (and I thank Rahim for his stunning ability to get the facts straight):

1. Tourism promotion services - such as the management of the Serena hotel in which we stayed
2. The Airline industry (there are three major airlines owed by AKFED in Mali, Burkina Faso and Uganda)
3. The Finance Sector
4. Industrial Promotional Services
5. Media Services

These five branches all fill a niche or market that hadn’t been monopolized in the area to date, that could fulfill a social development need, that could be independently sustainable and which could generate profit. Sounds simple enough right?!? The essence is that these businesses fill a need within the society they are a part of, they contribute to the local culture (not take away from it), and they must have the ability to generate sustainable income.

Imagine being the first business of your kind born out of a simple, good idea but located in an extremely risky area where not many investors want to weather the risk or take a chance in a volatile market. How many North American companies can you think of that are born out of necessity, located in areas where no one else will invest, support the local workforce, and generate profit in a culturally conscious manner? We learned that these are the basic guidelines the AKFED follows when they consider investing in a for-profit business venture.

So, where does a produce manufacturing plant and growing co-op like Frigoken fit in to the picture? After identifying a need for high quality produce that could be canned and shipped to Europe, the AKFED created Frigoken in 1989. It grows, manufactures and delivers top quality produce to meet European consumer needs. They have niche market for European customers and are currently trying to break into the North American market as well.

We arrived in the small village after traveling down very bumpy dirt roads which were almost like a safari bus roller coaster. It was extremely intense! We saw villagers biking with produce from the fields and women carrying water urns in the traditional fashion on top of their heads. We walked down to see a farmer’s plot that’s used to grow green beans. He was one of the 60,000 farmers employed by Frigoken. These farmers approach Frigoken, express an interest in growing for the company, and become contractors who sell produce grown on land that they own. It is not just about providing income for the farmers, they are also educated so they can maximize the output of their land. 60,000 farmers and 2500 factory workers comprise the workforce delivering quality goods to a European Market while providing capital to the local economy and learning valuable farming skills that can be used well beyond the terms of the Frigoken contract.

Most farmers own a couple of acres of land and they reserve a portion on which they grow crops for Frigoken. They can use the rest of their land to grow their own crops, but they’re contractually bound to only derive income from what they sell to Frigoken. I expected to see your typical Canadian farmer - i.e. I expected to see male farmers toiling in the field. Amazingly, over 80% of farmers employed here are women. Women were working in the fields with babies in tow, swaddled to their backs as they harvested crop and worked their plots. I felt so much respect and emotion towards these hard working women. The sense of community in these fields was abundant and something that isn’t always visible in the Western world. The concept of taking a village to raise a child and relying on community was strong and very much in practice in this area.

Frigoken works with these farmers to educate them on pesticides. Over half of the pesticides used are organic and therefore safe in controlled hands. Each plot had markers, almost like the ones we use for small vegetable or herb gardens at home. At Frigoken the produce could be traced back to the actual plot it was grown on. This means that the product could be traced from soil to fork for the customer. This was good business practice and accountability at its finest.

It was incredibly dry while we were there. Although it was overcast, I could feel the incredibly hot sun through the thickness of clouds. We all know Africa is a drought ridden continent and this year is no exception. It’s been over two years since they’ve had rain, which is presenting serious problems for the crops. Rain flooding usually occurs, meaning that their crops would be cleared and cleaned away to then set the soil up for a better harvest the coming year. In the past these rains would wipe out destructive forces that could ruin an entire crop plot, by essentially drowning the plot and making way for fresh soil. Global warming is affecting this region too.

After looking at that plot, we piled back into our buses to make our way to the Frigoken factory. We were learning about this business from the ground up and the next logical step was to visit the manufacturing plant. I have watched my share of How it’s made (a TV show) and have seen some high-tech, tightly run factories on the Discovery Network. This plant was no exception. We gowned up in long white coats and very funny looking white shower-cap style hats, so as not to bring in outside dirt and germs. I can say with certainty that no one looks good in these hats… I hope the photos don’t surface! Although, I’ve made some good friends on this trip and well… friends make friends laugh.

Upon arrival and donning our protective garb, we split up into two groups and began our tour. It is a huge, industrial and modern structure. The plant is set up in clearly defined areas where you could see raw beans being brought in through to the final jar labeling phase. It began with the bean sorter stage where women at long metal tables stood shoulder to shoulder picking the tips and ends off of the beans and putting them into larger bins. These were then taken to the conveyor belts where more women sorted the good beans from the bad ones which wouldn’t make the final cut and make it to the canning stage. Once sorting was complete, they begin the blanching process. Large bain-marie style vats of boiling water sit steaming on the floor while women lower full metal boxes of sorted beans into the water. After a minute they get a cold rinse and are sent once again onto a sorting conveyor belt. They then make their way to the jarring station where the fastest hands I’ve ever seen use shoe-horn like objects to fit the perfect amount of beans into jars. Although much in this plant was high tech, this was without a doubt a by-hand operation. Next came the brining stage, a step to preserve the beans finish the cooking process. After that they would get canned where they traveled through a sensor which ensures all the jars were properly sealed and ready for packaging.

I’ll be very honest when I say that I wondered why almost all of workers in the plant were women. I asked if only women worked here and our guide said that there were some male employees. I noticed that the men worked in a supervisory role which at first irked me. I then learned that for almost all of these women, this job represented a secondary income. In a failing global economy, Frigoken provides 2,500 factory jobs that would otherwise not be available.

The tour completed with a visit to the onsite daycare. This was the first time on the trip that I cried, although it certainly wasn’t the last. Women are allowed and encouraged to bring their babies and toddlers to work, drop them at the daycare and pick them up after their shifts. This blew my mind. We think of third world countries as being behind the times and yet here is the most fundamental necessity being met by the employer in a way that most western parents can only hope for. We encountered sleeping babies, toddlers offering us their mushy rice pudding on plastic spoons (I’ll admit after not eating lunch, it was rather tempting) and of course the potties.

I remember my Mum telling me stories about my own daycare center where she would leave in the morning after I (and others) had been deposited on the “potty train”, where we were learning this (important!) skill as a group. At the Frigoken daycare center I was at the head of the group and I started to laugh seeing this adorable sight. My fellow travelers asked me what was so funny to which I blurted out “Potty Train!” Once they saw what I saw they all understood and laughed too. This wasn’t the last time on the trip that something funny crossed my mind and I elicited laughs and headshakes from the group.

After that we took off our lab coats and shower caps and made our way to a much needed late lunch. We ate at a local restaurant and enjoyed amazing fish, chicken, lamb, each with varying degrees of spiciness. I really enjoyed all of the local food on this trip but have to say that if I didn’t like spicy food I would have been in trouble! There were beautifully spiced meats and breads meant to be shared and eaten with our hands. If I could eat like this at home, sharing and laughing throughout all my meals, well, this I could handle! The meals were a relaxing break from the long days and a fantastic way to learn more about my travel companions.

After lunch we hopped back onto our buses and made our way to one of the AKU - Aga Khan University campuses. The campus we visited was a nursing campus with areas for post-graduate studies. We learned that they are moving away from levels of certification like LPN/ RN in Canada. The focus is on making education work for working women by offering night classes and a system that allows students to complete what might take six years to complete with a full degree in two years of on-the-job training. As in North America there are many jobs in the Nursing field. In fact, there are more jobs than can be filled because there aren’t enough trained people to do the work. Apparently each year two hundred applicants apply for one of the thirty seats in the program. The faculty member giving us a tour was Mr. James Mwenda. He spoke with heart and passion about this program, and this made my heart burst with compassion. They work hard to give these students the highest quality of nursing education and to try and keep them in Kenya once they have completed their studies. However, we were told that recruitment from Europe and North America is fierce. They try to retain talent in order to maintain cultural sustainability but they often lose out to countries offering higher salaries and expanded opportunities.

Our tour continued across the street to the Aga Khan hospital. This as well was truly first class. We were once again welcomed with open arms. We saw the dentistry wing, the physiotherapy center and the pharmacy and we met with the former CEO of the AKU, Nazir Ladhani. He posed the direct questions of a high level CEO, the critical thoughts of a journalist, and possessed the ability to make me question my own thoughts and assumptions.

After a very long day which was emotionally and spiritually challenging, we made our way back to the hotel Serena for dinner and much needed sleep!