How EFSI benefits SMEs in Europe - Eurobank case study: Agrifarm (Greece), agriculture & agro-food

“’Refarming Greece’ is about challenging the existing entrepreneurial culture in agriculture,” says Dimitris Gremylogiannis, CEO and Founder of Agrifarm. “Our aim is to change attitudes and promote synergies, economies of scale and a focus on specific microclimate zones.”

Agrifarm, founded in 2014 and already boasting several international awards, is an innovative form of collaborative production and standardization of agricultural products – mainly pulses and rice - grown in a natural way. The production is based on intelligent agricultural management, maintaining natural resources and without the extensive use of fertilizers and pesticides. The company provides expertise and know-how to farmers, buys up their produce and exports it to the UK, US, Canada and Italy, building a strong relationship of trust and reliability with producers in an otherwise often unstable market.

Working closely with academic institutions, Dimitris is moving towards offering his clients a holistic experience, bringing the consumer as close as possible to the source with full transparency, respect for the environment and a strong social impact dimension. All packaging, for example, is cotton-based, thus avoiding plastic materials. “Social impact is very important to us. The average age of our farmers is 35, which is already a good sign. We want to give our youth all the tools in order to be able to stay in the countryside, to be able to live with dignity where they were born, on their own land” explains Dimitris, himself a fourth-generation farmer.

As the company grows, Dimitris has sought financing through Eurobank, in the form of an EU-guaranteed loan backed by EIF under the EU’s Investment Plan for Europe. “With demand growing, we needed to secure supplies of raw materials and expand our partnerships. We really needed to increase our capacity. Securing financing wasn’t easy and the support we received was of critical importance in this respect” he explains.

Company: Agrifarm (Greece)

Type of business: agriculture & agro-food

EIF financing:  COSME LGF,  EFSI

Financial intermediary: Eurobank

For further information about EIF intermediaries in Italy please refer to: http://www.eif.org/what_we_do/where/el