Grandy's Oats
Steve at World Harbors.
Production line at World Harbors.Hello from the wilds of Maine—
The synapses have been firing up here. Our recurring theme is be specific or moosharas— we have been so specific with specific that we have added the Dari word to our lexicon. The result is that the Associates are getting clear direction and business insight and suggestions from the host companies.
Zainul learned from master beekeepers, Debbie and Bob, how to make moisturizing lotion out of bees wax—diversifying her market and expanding her product line. She talked turkey (so to speak) with Bob about bee health and disease prevention no translation was needed they were speaking the same bee language.
Mariam went back to basics at the Shaker Village and gleaned some fundamentals like, stacking while drying–conserving space and increasing productivity. The women did a 180 and in the afternoon and visited Backyard Beauties Hydroponic Tomato Farm--a state of the art hydroponic greenhouse. They all want one!
The Associates eavesdropped on Julie making cold calls at Grandy Oats. The Associates visualized themselves making the call to a prospect and discussed ways in which they would “cold in-person”—there is no such thing as a cold call in Afghanistan.
Guiljan identified a major obstacle—finding the right balance between a very large customer and smaller customers and discussed the best strategy with Aaron the head of sales at Grandy Oats.
When in Rome...hay ride, visit a pumpkin patch, carve a jack-o-lantern…
World Harbors send Habbiba’s head spinning with the idea of adding preservatives to her jarred foods. The plant is large, state of the art by all measures way beyond what the associates have experienced, however, the representatives of the company made the experience meaningful, manageable, and within their grasp not beyond their wildest dreams emphasizing their start as a stove top business 18 years ago.
We capped off the last two days with a contest—four categories, four winners, great prizes.
1. Find a new application for your product
2. Present a PR hook
3. Identify a new target customer
4. Create a new product or modify an existing one
The winners:
Mariam (dried fruit and nut company): a cake recipe using nuts and raisins
Guiljan (tomato paste manufacturer): Endorsement by the Minister of Women’s Affairs and a famous singer
Zainul (beekeeper): promoting honey as an energy boost of choice to local athletes
Habbiba (mint oil and mint water): manufacturing cumin oil to use as a repellent for sand flies (which leave disfiguring scars most often on cheeks).
The Associates presented their ideas in each category in great detail—reminding us that they were being very specific!
The synapses have been firing up here. Our recurring theme is be specific or moosharas— we have been so specific with specific that we have added the Dari word to our lexicon. The result is that the Associates are getting clear direction and business insight and suggestions from the host companies.
Zainul learned from master beekeepers, Debbie and Bob, how to make moisturizing lotion out of bees wax—diversifying her market and expanding her product line. She talked turkey (so to speak) with Bob about bee health and disease prevention no translation was needed they were speaking the same bee language.
Mariam went back to basics at the Shaker Village and gleaned some fundamentals like, stacking while drying–conserving space and increasing productivity. The women did a 180 and in the afternoon and visited Backyard Beauties Hydroponic Tomato Farm--a state of the art hydroponic greenhouse. They all want one!
The Associates eavesdropped on Julie making cold calls at Grandy Oats. The Associates visualized themselves making the call to a prospect and discussed ways in which they would “cold in-person”—there is no such thing as a cold call in Afghanistan.
Guiljan identified a major obstacle—finding the right balance between a very large customer and smaller customers and discussed the best strategy with Aaron the head of sales at Grandy Oats.
When in Rome...hay ride, visit a pumpkin patch, carve a jack-o-lantern…
World Harbors send Habbiba’s head spinning with the idea of adding preservatives to her jarred foods. The plant is large, state of the art by all measures way beyond what the associates have experienced, however, the representatives of the company made the experience meaningful, manageable, and within their grasp not beyond their wildest dreams emphasizing their start as a stove top business 18 years ago.
We capped off the last two days with a contest—four categories, four winners, great prizes.
1. Find a new application for your product
2. Present a PR hook
3. Identify a new target customer
4. Create a new product or modify an existing one
The winners:
Mariam (dried fruit and nut company): a cake recipe using nuts and raisins
Guiljan (tomato paste manufacturer): Endorsement by the Minister of Women’s Affairs and a famous singer
Zainul (beekeeper): promoting honey as an energy boost of choice to local athletes
Habbiba (mint oil and mint water): manufacturing cumin oil to use as a repellent for sand flies (which leave disfiguring scars most often on cheeks).
The Associates presented their ideas in each category in great detail—reminding us that they were being very specific!
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