ased competition, many Israeli fresh herb growers have had to find ways to deal with a tighter market. To address that, Genesis Fresh Herbs is focusing more of their business on growing and selling high-quality basil.“Almost 90 percent of what we do is growing different kinds of basil,” said Genesis' Tzahi Mordehay. “We're specializing in, and looking for clients who want to buy Thai basil, red basil and sweet basil.” The move away from focusing on many herbs and instead focusing on one will bring both short-term and long-term benefits, explained Mordehay. In light of short supplies this season, demand for basil was very high, and prices were favorable. But going forward, the move will help differentiate Genesis from the competition.
“We're focusing on basil because there's a lot of competition from all over the world for other herbs,” said Mordehay. “But the basil from Israel is still known for its quality.” Genesis' tight logistics also allows them to directly supply clients, something which cuts two days out of the supply chain and gives them an edge in freshness.
Labor and input costs are much less expensive in other parts of the world, but the ability to grow a high-quality product with a long shelf life is something which Israeli growers have perfected. So, according to Mordehay, exploiting their competitive advantage in this instance is the way to go. He added that, because water is a scarce, expensive resource in Israel, and because wages make labor especially hard to come by, moving their operation to a country with more reasonable input and labor costs crossed his mind. But he ultimately decided to focus on improving his operation at home.
“I came back to Israel after visiting other countries and decided to try to solve the water and labor problems we have here,” he said. He thinks that leveraging technology, something which Israel has been known for, will help a lot. In that vein, Genesis is busy building a new fully automatic greenhouse that will triple their production. Finding ways to automate some aspects of growing and cultivation could ease labor shortages, and better methods of water conservation could likewise make water shortages less acute. But for now, Mordehay thinks focusing on one thing they do very well will help them weather the increasingly tight fresh herb market.
“You can provide regular herbs very easily, but you need to be more focused and have lots of experience to grow quality basil,” he said. “And in Israel we have that advantage.”
For more information:
Tzahi Mordehay C.E.O
Genesis Fresh Herbs
Mob: +972-54-2332670
Fax: +972-4-6060140
www.genesis-fresh-herbs.com
