Frédéric Bardothier, General Manager, Avipro East Africa Ltd (AEAL): “We wanted our clients to feel appreciated for their collaboration with us”
AEAL recently hosted its first client conference in Nairobi. What was the vision behind this event?
Avipro East Africa Ltd (AEAL) has been distributing parent stock chicks from Kenya for almost seven years now, in collaboration with Hubbard France. A few months ago, the idea of organising a joint conference slowly “hatched” in our minds, and we had three objectives: first, to acknowledge the trust that our clients have placed in our respective entities; and second, in return, to reaffirm our mutual commitment to providing the best breed for poultry parent stock and, ultimately, broilers to our farmers. We wanted our clients to feel appreciated for their collaboration with us.
The conference brought together customers from more than 10 countries. What does this level of engagement tell us about the growth and opportunities within the poultry sector across Africa and the Indian Ocean region?
Over the last decade, poultry consumption in East Africa has grown rapidly, driven by fast urbanisation, a rising middle class and the growing affordability of white meat compared to red meat, even though annual consumption in most East African countries remains relatively low. In Kenya, for example, it stands at around 2.5 kg per capita, compared to a global average of 16 kg. However, rapid demographic growth and the positive economic outlook for African countries offer interesting prospects for companies like AEAL to grow even further in the years ahead. Our client base has grown consistently since the start of our operations, and we look forward to welcoming more clients shortly. We have also seen some of our existing clients grow their businesses, and we are proud to accompany them in their success.
Trust and collaboration were recurring themes throughout the event. How do initiatives like this conference help strengthen relationships with customers and partners?
For AEAL and Hubbard, this conference was a formidable opportunity to strengthen our interactions with our clients. However, from my perspective, it went even further than the supplier-client relationship. One of the main takeaways from this conference was the increased networking and exchange of ideas and contacts among our clients, not as competitors, but as potential business partners. For example, clients from one country were able to explore import opportunities by looking at excess chick production in another country.
The Hubbard Efficiency Plus breed continues to gain recognition in the region. What factors do you believe are driving its growing adoption among breeders?
The main factor is undeniably the resilience of the breed in conditions that are not necessarily optimal. For the African poultry sector, this represents a major advantage. The Hubbard Efficiency Plus is increasingly recognised as one of the most adapted and balanced breeds. Our sales force, led by our Commercial Manager John Dantier and his team, has also been relentlessly present on the ground with our clients, listening to their concerns and working closely with the Hubbard team to bring out the full genetic potential of the breed.
Many industry experts shared their insights during the conference. Were there any key trends or discussions that you believe will shape the future of poultry production in the region?
The speakers addressed important subjects of interest to the industry leaders attending the conference, providing both personal and professional insights into the key challenges and opportunities facing the poultry sector.
In line with the conference theme, “Together for a More Resilient East African Poultry Sector”, the different presentations highlighted the importance of collaboration, knowledge sharing and innovation to strengthen the industry and better prepare it for future challenges.
The conference covered a wide range of current themes, from Avian Influenza and its impacts to markets and performance improvement. It also opened the door to more thought-provoking, future-oriented topics such as investment and the use of technology in the poultry sector. In my opinion, and based on the feedback received from our clients, these presentations were very relevant and will help them gain deeper insights into their respective operations. I would also like to thank all our speakers for their commendable presentations.
Following the success of this first conference, what is next for AEAL, and how do you plan to continue supporting customers across the region?
AEAL continues to grow and strengthen its impact in the regional poultry sector, conscious of its commitment to the values upheld by the Mauritian industry leader Avipro Group, of which AEAL is a proud member. The nationwide food self-sufficiency vision of “Nouri nou pei” - nourish our country - takes on a broader perspective for AEAL, through its contribution to the lives and businesses of countries across East Africa, the Indian Ocean and beyond.
We are further structuring our client support division and logistics to improve our outreach to clients, with a more personalised and focused approach to addressing the challenges they may face. In parallel, we continue to reaffirm our close collaboration with Hubbard France, so that we can support our clients even better in the coming years. We are proud to be part of their success story.