annual report
I am pleased to share with you our 2016 Annual Report. 2016 was a successful year for Market Matters Inc. "Making Markets Matter," our annual agribusiness training program celebrated its 16th year, and our most recent initiative, The African Seed Access Index, expanded to 12 countries. We are trying something new with this year's annual report - a more interactive format that is accessible in multiple formats and that allows you to get more details about the programs and activities of interest to you. We hope you like the new format. As always, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported our work. We are proud to be making a difference to agribusiness entrepreneurs in Africa and beyond, and we are pleased to have your support in this endeavor. Sincerely,
CEO
Message from the CEO
Welcome to our 2016 annual report
Ralph Christy
Making Markets Matter
Read the 2016 MMM report
Learn about other capacity building programs
"Making Markets Matter" is MM Inc.'s flagship agribusiness training program. Since 2001, the program has trained over 2,300 entrepreneurs from across Africa. The 2016 program brought together a diverse group of 69 participants from 10 African countries.
This short video profiles some of our facilitators, who talk about what MMM means to them.
"Great workshop, great organization, great instructors, great participants!" MMM2016 participant evaluation
Meet some of our participants and learn what they have to say about their experiences at MMM.
MMM Participant perspectives
about "Making markets matter"
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In 2005, Vivian Kleynhans started a wine marketing business under the brand name “Seven Sisters.” Immediately she and her company set their sights high, as they aspired to break into the wine markets of South Africa, the USA, Africa, Asia, and Europe. In 2007, the company shipped its first 20-foot container to the USA, where today Seven Sisters wines sell in 42 states. In addition, the company’s wines are marketed in Canada, China, Germany, and Nigeria. Ms. Kleynhans travels to these countries on a regular basis to market the wines and to attend international wine exhibitions. As Ms. Kleynhans puts it, African Roots Wines began as “a virtual company,” because they had no land, cellar, or vineyards. Instead, the company sourced wines from some of the largest wineries in the Western Cape and branded them under the Seven Sisters label. As the company grew, Ms. Kleynhans saw the need for the company to produce its own grapes - and wine. Through the land restitution program of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, in 2009 African Roots Wines received a piece of barren land, which Ms. Kleynhans and three employees began to develop into a vineyard. At present, the vineyard employs six full-time workers and thirty seasonal workers. After years of waiting, the hard work will the company bottled wine from its first harvest in August 2016, The farm is complemented by a warehouse, and in 2015, the company opened a facility that houses a tasting room, a restaurant, and a conference venue. Through these extensions of the business, African Roots provides employment to a further 17 full-time and 60 seasonal workers. Being able to provide employment to so many individuals – and by extension, also benefit their families – is important to Kleynhans. While she is proud of the many accolades Seven Sisters wines have received in various wine competitions, she is equally proud of the fact that, through the company’s success, the community around them also benefits.
Rhône Valley, France
The African Agribusiness Entrepreneur of the Year Award recognizes entrepreneurs who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in agricultural input and value-added industries in Africa. Established in 2008 through a generous gift by Dr. Akin Adesina, current President of the African Development Bank, the award highlights the invaluable role small and medium-size enterprises play in Africa’s development. The 2016 Award recognized the achievements of Vivian Kleynhans, a South African entrepreneur and owner and founder of the company African Roots Wines/Seven Sisters. Vivian was honored at the 2016 “Making Markets Matter” Closing Banquet in Cape Town, South Africa. She joins seven other pioneering entrepreneurs who have received the prize since 2008.
The hard work paid off! In December 2015, Seven Sisters opened its own tasting room and restaurant.
Seven Sisters - a family business.
Award Recipient
TASAI
Read more about TASAI online
With support from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and internal funding from MM Inc., 2016 saw TASAI expand to 12 countries. (Click on coverage map to expand.) In each country, TASAI teams conduct an in-depth study of the country's seed industry, collecting data about 20 different indicators. The information is made public in the form of TASAI Country Briefs, which summarize the most important findings from each country.
The African Seed Access Index seeks to promote the creation and maintenance of enabling environments for competitive seed systems serving smallholder farmers. It is this enabling environment that TASAI seeks to measure, track, and compare across African countries. The intended outcome of the index is improved access to locally adapted, affordable, and high-quality seed of improved varieties by smallholder farmers in Sub- Saharan Africa.
2016 expansion
future plans
TASAI plans to expand coverage to at least 20-25 Sub-Saharan African countries in order to provide more comprehensive comparisons and rankng of the participating national seed sectors. In the summer of 2017 the TASAI team will also integrate the country studies into a single, comparative volume.
Agricultural Professional Fellowship Program - is a training program aimed at young South African agricultural professionals. The program consists of a week-long leadership training in South Africa, a USA Study Tour, a South African Study Tour, and the Making Markets Matter Agribusiness Training Program.
2016 APFP Fellows at the Closing Ceremony.
Other highlights
Introducing new staff member
2016 APFP Fellows
We are pleased to welcome Mainza Mugoya to the MM Inc. team. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Mainza is responsible for coordinating the roll-out of the TASAI index to countries across Africa. This entails working closely with the country research teams, reviewing country reports and coordinating the dissemination of findings. Mainza was previously with the Eastern Africa Farmers’ Federation (EAFF), working as the Policy Officer. He also managed several projects aimed at building capacity of farmer organizations from the sub-national to the regional levels.
Quinetta Roberson Professor Villanova University, Villanova, PA
Ernest Davis Licensing Associate, Physical Sciences Rice University, Houston, TX
Ralph D. Christy, Chair Professor Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Patricia Johnson Vice President for Finance and Administration Lehigh University, Lehigh, PA
Robert Herdt Vice President, retired Rockefeller Foundation, New York, NY
Financial Highlights
2016
2015
Changes in unrestricted net assets:
Revenues, gains, and other support:
Restricted:
Net assets released from restrictions
301,622
67,570
Total Restricted Revenues
Total Unrestricted Revenues
413,779
332,437
Total Unrestricted Revenues, Gains, and Other Support
715,401
400,007
Expenses:
Total Program-Restricted Expenses
Total Nonprogram-Restricted Expenses
110,884
307,170
Total Management and General Expenses
223,029
111,137
Total Expenses
635,535
485,877
Change in Unrestricted Net Assets
79,866
(85,870)
Changes in Temporarily Restricted Net Assets:
Grants
480,312
35,464
Net assets released from donor restriction
(301,622)
(67,570)
Change in Temporarily Restricted Net Assets
178,690
(32,106)
Change in Net Assets
258,556
(117,976)
Net Assets, Beginning of Year
1,676,984
1,794,960
Net Assets, End of Year
1,935,540
Our Contributors
Organizations Anonymous (7) Ad Hoc Foundation Alpha Phi Alpha Alumni Chapter Association of Extension Adminig Cornell University Fall Creek Management Glory Foods San Francisco Foundation Seevers Family Foundation Individuals Adelaja, Soji Akridge, Jay and Michelle Allen, Ivye L Baharanyi, Ntam & Bernice Barrett, Christopher B. and Clara S. Bezuneh, Mesfin Blackshear, Natasha Bonnen, James T. Brown, Michael Christy, Anthony Christy, Caleb Christy, Clinda Christy, Larry H. and Joyce T. Christy, Paul A. Christy, Ralph Christy, Reginald Christy, Ruth and Shelly Dassie, Wylin Davis, Carlton Forker, Olan D. and Katie Gorman, Julia Guedry, L.J. and Ann V. Harris, Robert Herdt, Robert and Lorna Hinson, Roger Holdcroft, Lane Jacqumotte, Pierre Johnson, Willene Jones, Eugene Kennedy, Ronald Kerns, Samuel & Ian Anderson Kiiti, Ndunge C. Kraft, Leon Lerner, Scott and Caroline Mabaya, E. and K. Tihanyi McDowell, Donald D. McLeod, Poppy Mukunya, Alfred Mutambatsere, Emelly O’Planick, Kristin Pedraza, Francisco and Sarah Renusson, Gilles Roberson, Quinetta Robinson, Ken Stafford, Thomas Stalnaker, David & Eva Tomek, William Weissernstein, Josh Wenner, Mark West, Sherece Y. Wilson, Norbert and Wylin Williams, Ellis E.
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