A Case Study: The East Africa Growers Group (EAGA) in Kenya and its Outgrowing Activities

This case study, part of AFE’s "Facilitating the Development of Outgrowing Operations" manual, describes the East African Growers Group (EAGA) and its outgrowing operations. EAGA began exporting fresh vegetables to Europe 20 years ago, taking advantage of opportunities to supply importers with fresh produce outside of Europe’s main growing season. Today, EAGA is the largest fresh vegetable exporter in Kenya, exporting roughly 250 metric tons (MT) per week in the high season and close to 100 MT per week in the low season.

This case study looks first at the overall market and operations of EAGA and discusses the company’s incentives for undertaking outgrowing activities. The case then presents the functioning and dynamics of its outgrowing activities before concluding with a discussion of reasons for EAGA’s success and its biggest remaining challenges.