Jon Stojan
More than 7,000 islands make up the archipelago of the Philippines with its sandy beaches, lush forests, beautiful mountains and fertile plains. Its people are known for their warmth, hospitality and generosity. More than 10 million farmers and fisherpeople harvest and gather the food for 111 million people who live in the country. While their work is critical for all Filipinos, they are left wanting, the “poorest of the poor,” shares Mayani founder and CEO JT Solis. He and the other founders are on a mission to use their hearts, gifts, and expertise to change that and uplift the lives of millions of deserving farmers and fishers.
The multifaceted challenges the agriculturists of the Philippines grapple with are prevailing issues like a lack of fair market access, high post-harvest wastage, and a desperate need for reliable supply chain data. These issues were exacerbated by the pandemic and ever-increasing climate vulnerability. All these difficulties combined perpetuate the cycle of poverty and uncertainty for rural communities, farmers, and fisherpeople.
In response to these struggles, Mayani has developed a modern and holistic approach to address the root causes of agricultural inequality in the Philippines. By consolidating farm-level production data, Mayani optimizes distribution channels to minimize wastage and bridge the gap between farmers and consumers. Through the innovative use of technology, Mayani digitizes the entire supply chain, empowering farmers and fisherfolk with valuable insights into market demand and pricing dynamics. The recent launch of MAYANI Agri-Inputs and MAYANI FinAssist further reinforces Mayani’s commitment to decarbonize the agri-value chain and provide crucial financial support to empower these rural entrepreneurs.
Mayani’s founding story
The genesis of Mayani came when Executive Chairman and founder Jeff Barreiro saw a documentary on national television that captured the dire circumstances of Filipino farmers and fisherfolk. Solis shares, “That was sort of the light bulb moment, but it really solidified when another of our co-founders, Ochie San Juan, shared his pain points throughout his 30-plus years of farming,” Solis shares.
“He’s a vegetable farmer, a lowland producer in southern Luzon, which is the biggest island in the archipelago nation.” San Juan shared the challenges that most farmers had in finding and accessing customers that would allow them to recover the costs of inputs and labor in production. San Juan shared, “We’ve been harvesting, but there’s no glimmer of hope for us in terms of expecting to be able to sell our harvest.”
Solis adds, “After that conversation, we talked to more and more farmers within the province, and then we realized, ‘Interestingly, this situation is really a microcosm of a broader reality in the entire rural Philippines.’ Farmers may know how to farm, but how do they recover their cost of production? How do they get what they need and deserve from their hard work in the field?”
The team’s experience
The struggles of accessing markets and securing fair prices for agricultural produce, coupled with Jeff Barreiro’s vision, laid the foundation for Mayani’s inception in 2019. Barreiro is a serial entrepreneur with an exit and a track record for scaling companies across Southeast Asia. And, of course, San Juan brings invaluable agricultural domain expertise. Solis is a seasoned e-commerce executive and former Vice President of the Xend Group (a pioneer e-commerce logistics platform in the Philippines). The rest of the founding team is equally prolific: Andrei Dela Cruz is CTO and an expert software engineer, Ron Dime is CLC and an experienced commercial lawyer, Lance Villanueva is Chief of Fulfillment and a logistics specialist, and Josef Amarra is Mayani’s Chief Platform Officer.
Solis shares, “We had this realization that we could come together and utilize something very new, which is technology, to disrupt and change something very old, which is agriculture. We asked ourselves if we could combine something arcane with something very disruptive, fuse it together, and find a way for farmers and fishers to lead better lives because of technology; how cool would that be! That’s how we pulled everybody together.” Fueled by a shared passion and over 150 years of combined experience, they aim to drive meaningful change in the agricultural sector.
“No one could replicate us at being us. When you consider the combined wealth of hands-on experience our team has across various fields, it significantly contributes to the overall collective ethos and expertise of our organization. And when it comes to execution potential, it’s definitely there.”
Mayani’s milestones, achievements and partnerships
The team at Mayani has achieved significant milestones in its quest. They secured initial funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which provided the necessary impetus to develop Mayani’s proprietary tech stack. “We were able to successfully build a global coalition of investors including Silicon Valley VCs and Southeast Asian VCs, based out of Singapore, some strategic conglomerates in the Philippines, and we saw like-minded investors across the world backing us. It’s just very exciting. There’s more to this than just a local impact. It’s going to be global and people see that and care about it.”
Mayani’s commitment to helping farmers and fishers isn’t the team’s only valiant mission. They are dedicated to sustainability and responsible sourcing of seafood and have been recognized for their efforts in becoming strategic partnerships with esteemed organizations like USAID Fish Right and an ocean fund out of Australia. Additionally, the Mayani team has partnered with renowned brands like Hilton Hotels and Subway.
Mayani’s vision for the future
Looking ahead, the Mayani team envisions a future where the hard-working Filipinos who work the lands and seas and feed the masses are rewarded for their significant contributions. By making farming profitable, data-driven and resilient, the Mayani team looks to contribute significantly to the country’s GDP.
With their commitment to empowering local communities, fostering equitable growth, and promoting a sustainable future, Mayani invites stakeholders to join hands in shaping a brighter future where technology-driven innovation and sustainable agriculture converge harmoniously.
Embark on this noble journey with Mayani and sow the seeds of change that will yield a bountiful harvest for future generations.