Autumn 2016 Issue
> CFI.co Meets the CEO of Zena Exotic Fruits:
Randa Filfili
Z
ena Exotic Fruits is more than just another packaging plant. “Whilst we of course pursue profit and market share, we also care for all our stakeholders,” says Randa Filfili who took over management of the family business in 2004. Mrs Filfili transformed the company into one of Senegal’s leading producers and exporters of processed fruits and vegetables. She expanded the product range, brokered deals with farmers, and increased plant capacity. Upon taking charge, Mrs Filfili decided to change the corporate mission at Zena Exotic Fruit in order to include environmental, social, and governance (ESG) parameters long before those became fashionable. “I considered that a more social approach to our operations would prove beneficial to all stakeholders and put the business on a more sustainable footing, thus ensuring long-term profitability and underpinning future growth.” The company has forged a solid relationship with growers, providing small-scale producers with schooling, healthcare, tools, and high quality seed and saplings in order to move rural communities away from subsistence farming. “The results of this approach are very promising. Farmers tell us that for the first time ever, they are able to make their crops pay and provide a decent standard of living. This way, we can lift entire communities out of poverty.” Mrs Filfili aims for a significant social impact that stretches beyond the usual requirements of fair trade: “Though we are still quite small, Zena Exotic Fruits has both a special corporate history and future. We want to help transform Senegalese society by offering people an opportunity to partake in our future. To that end, the company aims to build schools and health clinics in marginalised poor areas of the country. We also help women start their own businesses by facilitating access to knowledge and providing services that lessen the burdens of motherhood and domestic chores.” Broaching new markets in Europe and North America, Zena Exotic Fruits fully complies with global quality control and assurance standards. Its labour practices are widely recognised as exemplary: around 90% of the company’s employees are women. Zena Exotic Fruits has adapted its work floor procedures and practices in order to welcome eleven hearing-impaired workers. By actively seeking new markets, the Dakar-based facility is able to create new jobs and engage with more farmers. “With the introduction of new products such as
CEO: Randa Filfili
Madd Preserves and Cashew Apple Butter, we are purchasing fruits that once spoiled in Senegal due to lack of rural infrastructure. Sales of these products, which can now be enjoyed all year, increase farmers’ revenues and rural incomes. Moreover, the majority of our exotic foods are all-natural, which is good for health and the environment. We also purchase wild harvested fruits which helps villagers’ efforts at the conservation of forests and CFI.co | Capital Finance International
natural wildlife habitats.” According to Mrs Filfili, Zena Exotic Fruits is now well on its way to become a trendsetting multinational: “We aim high. There remains a lot to be done in Senegal and as a good corporate citizen, Zena Exotic Fruits wants to help push national development while safeguarding the interests of all stakeholders. i 121