Success for Danish stable hygiene in Africa

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J.N. Jorenku is exporting Danish stable hygiene solutions – through a working relationship with one of the largest abattoirs in Africa.

Over the past 18 months, the Danish company J.N. Jorenku has built up considerable exports to Africa. The company’s solutions are being sold to Kenya and South Africa in particular. Largely on account of a solid working relationship with Farmer’s Choice, one of the largest abattoir companies in Kenya.

This initiative follows hard on the heels of the company’s successful move to gain a foothold in the Asian markets.

J.N. Jorenku manufactures the Staldren hygiene agent. A powder that contains biocide-approved active substances configured to ensure that no harm is caused to people or animals. Staldren is a thoroughly documented hygiene agent and is tested continuously at internationally recognised laboratories over the past 20 years. It is one of the most widely used products to reduce infection rates at pig, cattle and chicken farms worldwide.

“Staldren is ideal for all kinds of stall and stable systems, which is a major factor in the success we have achieved in several African markets. Conditions here span the full range from facilities on a par with Danish stables to more basic setups in small villages where the farmers keep 4–5 head of cattle and a few goats,” explains Johnni Pedersen, CEO and owner of J.N. Jorenku.

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Johnni Pedersen established J.N.Jorenku more than 20 yeas ago. Since then the company’s operations expanded on the basis of the Staldren product from its domestic market in Denmark, on to Scandinavia and then throughout Europe. In 2006, the company began to export to Vietnam and subsequently extended operations to several other Asian countries, including China.

“Exporting to Africa is a natural continuation of this development as there is immense potential in the continent. Moreover, we are in the fortunate position of producing a simple product that is easy to use. It immediately generates obvious effects consisting of reduced illness where the animals are kept, lower vets’ bills and bigger profits. I would warmly recommend any the borders of Europe and start to focus on Africa,” says Johnni Pedersen.

Jens Rasmussen, J.N. Jorenku’s Export Manager for the region, advises companies looking to penetrate markets in the African continent to identify individual countries in which they can make an effective start:

“We have a tendency to view Africa as a homogenous region, but it is actually distinguished by considerable variation. We start in Kenya and South Africa, because the countries offer the best opportunities, in our opinion,” relates Jens Rasmussen.

He goes on to advise potential exporters to set up working relationships with partners in the countries in question, rather than attempt to build up an organisation from scratch. However, the trick is to find the right partners from the start, because setting up operations with an unprofessional partner is likely to cost time, money and credibility.

Farmer’s Choice

“In Kenya, we were able to set up a fruitful working relationship with Farmer’s Choice. This company is an all-round supplier with its own livestock farms, its own abattoirs and its own facilities for processing the meat to make cold cuts, sausages, etc. for direct delivery to retail outlets. Farmer’s Choice slaughters more than 3,000 pigs per week, of which more than half come from its own farms. In order to reduce infection rates and maintain a high standard of hygiene, the organisation has introduced a standardised system involving the use of Staldren twice a week,” says Johnni Pedersen.

An important reason for choosing Kenya was that the country has set itself a development goal that involves it becoming a middle-income country within ten years. Greater income translates into greater consumption of meat, so it is important to develop farming operations to bring them more closely into line with western levels. The working relationship with an established enterprise such as Farmer’s Choice secures the sales channel for J.N. Jorenku. In addition to pig farming, the company runs beef cattle farming operations in a similar setup.

Conditions in South Africa are very different. Here, farming is still largely carried out by the farmers who were active in the industry before the political change-over – and the agricultural standards and hygiene expectations are high.

“Other relevant markets include Congo and Gambia, although we take care only to start up in markets where we can deal with all the challenges professionally. Africa is even more varied than Europe, and no-one would so much as consider attempting to penetrate all European markets at the same time and using the same approach. We know that different countries are home to different cultures and different conditions, and this applies to an even greater extent in Africa,” concludes Jens Rasmussen.

About J.N. Jorenku

J.N. Jorenku was founded in 1991 by Johnni Pedersen, who runs it as a personally owned company. All production is carried out in Tappernøje, Denmark, where J.N. Jorenku recently acquired a former brickworks. The company built a new administration centre on the site and set up a modern production facility. J.N. Jorenku employs 12 people, of whom most work “in the field” as sales representatives and consultants. The production process is largely automated, using robots and other advanced-technology solutions. Because of market competition, the company prefers not to disclose its production and financial figures.

Exports have accounted for a rising share of the activities since the beginning, and amount to 80 % of sales.

Additional information:

Johnni Pedersen, CEO of J.N.Jorenku.

Source: maskinbladet.dk, May 23, 2012