Interview: Juan Enrique Habermann Gastélum

1. What were the beginnings of the company?

We are a company specialized in the farming of green beans for export, we also sow grains such as corn and sorghum. Green beans are our main product.

I started farming listening to it when I was little, my grandfather was the one who started farming in the 30s, then my dad and I am the third generation of farmers in the family.

This business started with me, since my father died very young when I was still studying. When I graduated from school in 1989 I started planting grains, and in 1993 I began planting green beans. My grandfather and my father harvest vegetables, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper also grans such as soybeans, corn, safflower and sesame.

In 1993 I had to consult the Commission for the Investigation and Defense of Vegetables Of Sinaloa (CIDH), with serious financial problems, in that time I had rented a field to plant in the region of Quila, that year we had serious problems because the climatic phenomena “El Niño” we have a devastating hurricane, we have nothing left after that, I was very preoccupied because we have debts, I knew that with the sow of corn I would never finish paying. That’s why I began to research the statistics of prices and volumes of diverse crops with the help of CIDH, there I discovered that it was an area of opportunity with the green beans, because there were not big framers growing this and did not need a big initial investment so I decided for this option. I started planting seven acres of green beans the first year, and then I met a group of Americans of Japanese origin whom became my partners then to date, they are in charge of the trade of our products; they sow in the spring and summer and our company in the winter, that allows us have supply of green beans all year round.

We also sell canned green beans, at the beginning we started selling to a Canadian, he began to buy our green beans in boxes to process and can the products in Vancouver. We analyze the possibility to became partners and instead to do it there, do it here, and so we did it. Currently we harvest; we cut and can the green beans; we have established a processing plant in our field and that give us the opportunity to cut and can the green beans the same day.

2. ¿ What percentage of your production do you export and where are your main markets? 

We export 98% and the other 2% for national market. The main market for processed beans is the United States; we sell it to supermarket chains and also packers who bag fresh.

The main market for our can green beans is Canada, Hawaii and a bit to Japan. This is a niche that the Sinaloa’s have missed; there is a great opportunity, we have a world of food that is wasted that can be processed.

3. ¿ how was your relationship with Eleven Rivers born?

I was president of CIDH when the outbreak of Salmonella Saint Paul came in 2008 in tomatoes, the FDA pointed out that the contamination came from Mexican tomato; we have to proof and defend ourselves as producers for this appointment, because they were blaming us, they did research on five Sinaloa farms, so we have to make different type scientific analysis to dismiss this accusations; to this matter we had the support of researches like Dr. Lourdes Simental who was a very important piece to determine the origin of this outbreak that was not from Mexico.

We have the luck that Sinaloa production season was about to end and this crisis did not affect us that much, but it was a different history for Baja California growers; they have a significant impact for this matter because the markets fell, they could not export and it was a decreasing consumption of Mexican products.

With this background we analyze the different options that exist to reduce this type of crisis, although in that time had not affect us in full season we had to find a way to prevent this, because that would be disastrous for Sinaloa and Mexico because the tomato export would be stopped, that could mean a big economic disaster. We were seeking the way to “shield” Sinaloa for these possible outbreaks and find the way to face it as an industry.

As a result of that, Eleven Rivers was born to certify us, we had to comply with standards above those that demanded us internationally and taking care of all these issues; create a certification scheme strong enough, and this is why this scheme has evolved over time, to became more strong and complete. We had to be sure of what we were doing in terms of safety, social responsibility, environmental issues, etc. Thus we are meeting above the international standards and that gives us the assurance that our companies are in constant compliance.

What does this have to do with counterparts? Certify our companies in Eleven Rivers implies a big investment, so we wonder what benefit will we have?, we will have the certain that we are selling a premium product, safer, and with time the markets is going to start buying it, so we think that now with more certified companies is time to start sharing this certification, we are about 33 companies participating and is time to start talking to the commercial chains, supermarkets and tell them the benefits of this certification so they begin to prefer or certified products, that will led to more interested companies in join Eleven Rivers and thus that will make possible to reduce risk for the industry.

When we face a crisis we are going to be sure that we are not the problem or if there is a problem have the possibility to solve it in a better and more efficient way, since this certification give the opportunity to correct inconsistencies because have a weekly verification, so in this time is more easy to solve any problem. Contrary on the other commercial certifications that come certify you and return until the next year.

I got involved with Eleven Rivers because I had to start it at first as the president of CIDH, the program was born and has evolved over time and for the better.

4. What is the main advantage that your company finds with Eleven Rivers?

Our company has diverse commercial certifications, such as SCS Global Services, PrimusGFS, Social Responsibility Certificate, HACCP, and Wall-Mart ethical standards; we have all the certifications that our consumers demand; we hope someday we only just need one certification that evolves all and that that would be Eleven Rivers, and with this one I could go to Wal-Mart, Safeway and all my clients and that works for everyone. Because every retail company works with a different certification scheme and if you want to work with them you have to be certify by their own criteria, this mean costs, work and time for our enterprises.

So we want to achieve the recognition for Eleven Rivers as a certification scheme that complies with all their requirements and more; when we get there that would represent a main achievement for Sinaloa growers.

5. Do you recommend Eleven Rivers and why?

Yes, because the standard we are handling is a standard that goes beyond all currently available we are in the process of this recognition of our brand so it is very important for the commercial chains to take it into account.

6. Something else you want to ad?

Invite the other grower companies to join and certify in the Eleven Rivers certification scheme, since more certificated companies, we are going to be safer, and we will armor our state and that in the end will bring an additional benefit to our companies.