Meet Barney Isralls, MD Vegtech Netafim

Born in South Africa, Barney’s passion for the land was cultivated when he moved to Israel to work on a kibbutz alongside young men and women from around the world, as Israel sought to rebuild itself after the 1973 war.

In Israel, Barney found himself under the guardianship of a family who fast-tracked his integration into Israeli life. He soon completed three years of military service and then went on to achieve a degree(diploma) in agriculture at the Rupin Institute.

He later took up a position at the Israeli Foreign Office, at the Israeli Embassy in London and then, in South Africa, Barney met his wife Ann and they soon moved to Israel, where they lived and farmed on their Moshav for 12 years. This included a short stint in South Africa as a consultant for Anglo American Farms growing vegetables to feed mine workers.

In 1992, Barney and his family returned to his home country, South Africa, as an agricultural consultant for an Israeli export company. Over the course of his two-year contract, he imported agricultural products and technology into the country – so successfully, that his plan to return to Israel never worked out.

“Business was booming by the time my two-year contract was up,” recalls Barney, “and the company asked me to stay on in South Africa for one more year. I agreed, not realising at the time just how much the decision would affect the path Ann and I had intended to follow.”

At the end of 1992, Barney officially stepped away from consulting to start Vegtech. The focus of the business at the time was supplying agricultural equipment to farmers and as it flourished and grew, a pressing need arose for capital to expand operations. At this point, Barney partnered with an Israeli investor that would eventually go on to sell its shares to Netafim – a company that combines precision irrigation, agronomic expertise and innovation to help farmers grow more with less.

“Back when I started Vegtech, I had no idea what a balance sheet was,” says Barney. “I had never studied business, yet I suddenly found myself trying to build a company. Looking back on it, I think what helped me through those early years was sticking to three principles that are still front and centre at Vegtech Netafim. The first is holding honesty and integrity above everything else, no matter what the cost. The second is treating everyone as equals. And the third is that the customer is always king. I was also incredibly fortunate to have my wife Ann working alongside me, something we’ve now done for nearly 40 years.”

While Vegtech was established as a commodities-based business, over the years the focus changed to selling greenhouses, rather than the ‘furniture’ for them. Things were to change again when Barney’s son Neta joined the company.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with Neta, who brings his civil engineering skills and keen business mind to the company,” says Barney. “Neta and I recognise each other’s strengths and I love having him in the business – although I do sometimes have to remind him who’s boss!” he laughs. “Within months of Neta joining the business,” recalls Barney, “he’d identified an opportunity for the company to expand towards turnkey greenhouse engineering, and since then he's worked hard to build a business that’s seeing real growth in the project arena.”

While Vegtech Netafim may have undergone several significant changes over the years, there’s one thing that has remained unchanged – never losing sight of the passion.

“I’ve been fortunate throughout my career to have kept agriculture at the heart of the business. Money has never been my reason for getting out of bed every morning. And I’ve never wanted to drive a Porsche. For me, it’s always been about farming and family,” he says.

So where to from here? Barney is clear that Africa is where he and Neta are planning to grow the business.

“I’m convinced that within the next 20 years, Africa will be the breadbasket of the world. With vast tracts of land and an abundance of sunshine, it makes complete sense that this continent is on course to make a significant impact. While it has its share of challenges, and selling commodities is difficult logistically, we’re excited about what our greenhouses can bring to farmers in Africa and how we can ultimately be part of driving food security on this beautiful continent.”

“Working in Africa requires patience,” he adds, “but as I keep reminding myself, life and business are not only about the destination, but about the journey too.”