How Ken Research Helped Build an Integrated Farm-to-Market Ecosystem?

The client, a diversified conglomerate with over four decades of experience in multiple industries, sought to expand its footprint in the agricultural sector. With a planned investment of ₹100 crore, the client aimed to capitalize on opportunities in integrated goat farming and high-growth agricultural businesses. The overarching vision was to establish a farm-to-market value chain that combined farming, warehousing, and distribution while leveraging emerging trends like organic farming and sustainable agriculture.

However, the client faced significant challenges, including:

1. Identifying the Right Market Opportunities: Navigating a complex and competitive agricultural landscape to identify high-ROI sectors.
2. Evaluating Acquisition Targets: Finding businesses that aligned with their financial goals and operational scalability requirements.
3. Strategic Integration: Developing an end-to-end value chain that maximized profitability and efficiency.

To overcome these challenges, the client partnered with Ken Research, a consulting firm renowned for its expertise in market intelligence and strategy.

Driving Measurable Results

Ken Research employed a tailored Objectives and Key Results to address the client’s challenges and deliver measurable outcomes.

Objective 1: Identify High-ROI Agricultural Sectors and Companies

• Key Result 1: Conducted an in-depth analysis of 25 potential sectors and companies, focusing on trends like superfoods, and sustainable agriculture, and the organic farming industry.
  • Impact: Shortlisted 5 key companies with a combined total addressable market (TAM) of ₹500 crore, ensuring strong growth potential.
• Key Result 2: Evaluated companies on parameters such as market scalability, alignment with government subsidies, and financial performance.
  • Impact: Highlighted businesses with an average revenue growth of 12% YoY, ensuring alignment with the client’s long-term goals.

Objective 2: Develop a Farm-to-Market Integration Strategy

• Key Result 1: Identified acquisition-ready companies generating annual revenues exceeding ₹30 crore with a profit margin of at least 10%.
  • Impact: Delivered a roadmap for integrating farming, warehousing, and distribution, reducing operational costs by 30%.
• Key Result 2: Enhanced operational scalability by recommending companies with a customer reach of over 1,50,000 smallholder farmers, leveraging existing infrastructure to rapidly scale operations.
  • Impact: Strengthened the client’s presence across rural and urban markets.

Objective 3: Leverage Stakeholder Engagement for Strategic Alignment

• Key Result 1: Conducted 15+ stakeholder discussions, including interactions with mid-level executives and regional heads, to validate business models and operational feasibility.
  • Impact: Provided tailored recommendations based on on-ground insights, increasing decision-making accuracy by 25%.
• Key Result 2: Benchmarked shortlisted companies against 10 keys operational and financial KPIs, including revenue, scalability, and risk management.
  • Impact: Enabled the client to prioritize acquisition targets with maximum ROI potential.

Research Insights and Data-Driven Approach

Market Analysis

Ken Research’s team uncovered opportunities in high-growth agricultural trends:

• Organic Farming: Identified as a lucrative sector with a projected CAGR of 18% over the next five years.
• Superfoods: Highlighted niche opportunities in products like chia seeds, flax seeds, and hemp, driven by global demand for health-focused products.
• Sustainable Agriculture: Focused on eco-friendly practices that align with government subsidies and consumer preferences.

Company Evaluations

Ken Research rigorously evaluated companies across financial and operational metrics:

• Revenue Range: ₹35-72 crore.
• PAT Margins: 12%-20%.
• EBITDA: 15%-25%.
• Identified businesses offering scalability in rural markets with advanced distribution networks and low operational costs.

Stakeholder Collaboration

The engagement process included:

• Conducting 15+ telephonic interviews with stakeholders to validate assumptions and capture operational challenges.
• Synthesizing desk and primary research into actionable recommendations tailored to the client’s goals.

Ken Research’s expertise enabled the client to:

1. Streamline Market Entry: Shortlist high-growth companies and sectors for strategic acquisitions.
2. Enhance Operational Efficiency: Develop a farm-to-market roadmap that reduced operational costs by 30%.
3. Scale Profitably: Build a scalable farm-to-market value chain, unlocking new revenue streams and expanding their footprint to serve over 1,50,000 farmers.

Ken Research’s data-driven approach not only addressed the client’s immediate business challenges but also laid the groundwork for sustained growth in the agricultural sector.

Client Testimonial

"Ken Research’s strategic insights and market expertise helped us navigate the complexities of the agricultural sector. Their meticulous evaluations and actionable recommendations were instrumental in achieving our vision of creating an integrated farm-to-market value chain. Their partnership was invaluable to our success."
—CEO, Agriculture Sector