About us

I was born, raised, and educated in Kibbutz Hanita – the sixth generation of a family of farmers in Israel. My great-great-grandfather, Avraham Kostitsky, immigrated to the Land of Israel in 1891 with the First Aliyah, and wrote one of the first few books written about the history of this Aliyah – “Before the Morning Light Arose”. As tradition dictated, I was raised to love the country, to defend it, and, as a natural outcome, to work its land.

I did not doubt that my future was bound up with developing the land. I studied agronomy at the Hebrew University Faculty of Agriculture in Rehovot, and from there continued to study for a Master´s degree in Business Administration, with the hope of combining these two fields. Upon completing my studies, I worked in a variety of countries and discovered that Israeli farmers were suffering from fertilizer high prices, for no apparent reason. Our farmers, who struggle every day to maintain their land and their living, paid huge amounts of money to buy fertilizers. There was insufficient competition in the market. Their distress gave me no peace. It was in direct opposition to my upbringing´s ideals – love for the country and protection of the land and its water through agriculture.

I felt that the time had come for farmers to stand up and act for themselves and for the sake of preserving Israeli agriculture and decided to do something practical. Deshen Hatzafon was established in 2012. The company is owned by 260 kibbutzim joined in seven purchasing organizations. Our business model is completely different – the owners are also the customers, and the owners and management are primarily concerned with what is best for the farmers and their needs. They work tirelessly to find the proper holistic solution. There is nothing similar to this agricultural union in any other company in the market.

Sheffa by Deshen Hatzafon is located in Beit Shean Valley and has about 50 employees, in addition to many suppliers and service providers. Most of them live in the outlying areas. We take pride in producing and operating as an economic and employment force in the periphery of the country.

The company has a logistical fleet and a human capital of professionals, including agronomists and chemists who work closely with the farmers and give them the tools to efficiently use our products and save on resources. We carry out numerous tests on our customers´ lands to give them the best possible service and help them achieve maximum high-quality yields. We also look after the environment, strengthen crops with accurate nutrition, and a reduction in the use of harmful substances. We promote sustainable agriculture to support ourselves and future generations.

At our disposal, we have technological capabilities and laboratories that comply with the strictest standards in Israel and abroad. We strive for innovation and believe in it, and to develop products that will maximize the farmers´ profits, work with recognized research institutes in Israel and worldwide. We don´t pause for a second.

At the bottom line, we have succeeded in reducing fertilizers´ prices by over 50%, saving Israeli farmers hundreds of millions of shekels in costs, but our most significant achievement has been changing the farmers´ mindset: it´s possible to do things differently. Someone is looking out for them. The basic principle, which was the guiding light for my great-great-grandfather, has not changed: the land is the source of life. We draw our existence and our essence from it, and we all share the responsibility to make it fertile and to protect it, for our grandchildren´s future.

Best wishes,
Golan Argaman, CEO