DJ on the corn field
Mykhailo Nagornyak, agrarian innovator and owner of the Mnagor seed company, was the first in Ukraine to select instant sweet corn. In parallel with the Americans brought a variety of purple corn. And soon one more innovation will enter the market - sweet corn using Michelin-starred su-vid technology. The entrepreneur told us about his achievements and plans.
Healing purple
In 2017, a worldwide sensation spread around the world: the Americans, in collaboration with the Chinese, developed a variety of sweet purple corn. Prior to this, corn of this color existed in hard unsweetened varieties. In addition to external beauty, the novelty was useful for health. Experimented on obese hamsters. One group was fed purple corn, the second - regular. Hamsters from the first group the whole experiment were vigorous and fit, from the second - remained with their obesity. Further studies have shown that this corn is good for digestion, and is also indicated for people with type 2 diabetes.
Information that such selection works are being conducted was leaked to the media before the large-scale presentation of the finished result. A keen agricultural innovator Mikhail Nagornyak could not pass by and caught fire to synthesize a purple variety in our country. He collected seed from different countries, there were even varieties from Peru, and work started.
Two years ago, Mikhail managed to get his sweet purple-burgundy variety. Its working name is Bordeaux. He wrote a business plan and submitted it to the competition in the regional council. He did not win the competition, but local volunteers became interested in the idea and offered to hold a corn festival in Vinnitsa and present a purple variety there. The festival was held in Vinnitsa on August 3, foreign companies became interested in purple corn of Mikhail. Unfortunately, at the moment it is not enough to sell a seed fund. To increase the required volume, you need another two to three years.
Sweet in 5 minutes
It all started in 2001, when Mikhail Nagornyak graduated from Vinnitsa National Agrarian University and thought about what he wants to do in life. After studying, I got a job in an agricultural company that was engaged in the sale of seeds and their selection.
As a hired employee, Mikhail realized that he wanted to create something of his own, truly Vinnitsa. “There are many cultures,” he says. - You can take any and work with her. I chose sweet corn. Then, at the beginning of the two thousandths, everyone knew that it needed to be cooked for two to three hours. I was fascinated by the idea of getting sweet corn, which is preparing quickly, ”he recalls.
In search of the right seeds for selection, Mikhail traveled all over Ukraine. I got to Europe. Everywhere it was a curiosity. But Michael did not stop it. During the trips, he collected a whole collection of seeds of different varieties. Where to buy, where to trade. At the very beginning, he invited those Ukrainian breeders with whom he communicated to work together. But he didn’t find a response, he set to work himself. “Breeding is an elite business. This is a very delicate job. Somewhere he made a mistake, wrongly pollinated - and that’s it. A whole year's work in vain. At each stage, triple control is needed. And time. It takes two to three years to develop a new variety, and 7 years to propagate it to sales volumes, ”says Mikhail. He successfully coped with the idea and for the first time in Ukraine he bred sugar corn, which is cooked in five minutes. Today everyone knows her.
Mikhail Nagornyak: “I'm like a DJ. In the field, I feel like behind a remote control: mix, mix, mix. And it turns out: mom - grade No. 14, dad - grade No. 19, and the daughter is smart and beautiful "
New Product ... From Accounts Receivable
Recently, Mikhail Nagornyak has come up against the problem of receivables from counterparties. His company cooperates with several canneries - supplies them with seeds. Payment is in violation of all contractual terms. And Michael had the idea to pick up his products. But not a factory, but its private label. “I delivered them seeds, and they will make me a batch of canned corn under my brand name Kachan Zdorovya,” he says. - Yes, the canned corn market in Ukraine is oversaturated. But I can compete well for the price. And thanks to this, to return my money that the plant owes me. ” In addition, the implementation of this idea will allow Mikhail to diversify his business and be less dependent on seasonality.
Corn Innovations
Mikhail in his soul and in actions is an innovator. He likes to figure out how to use modern technology in an unconventional way. For example, there is such a French technology - su-view (sous vide, trans. With fr. - in a vacuum, ed.). According to it, manufacturers prepare steaks for good European restaurants. They are stored for a long time, quickly cooked and amazingly juicy. The point is that future raw steaks are packed in vacuum and sent directly to the packaging in a water bath and “boiled” there at a temperature of 50-60 degrees for many hours.
Mikhail came up with the idea of producing sweet corn in separate cabbage heads using su-view technology. According to him, usually sweetness in corn lasts about three days. Then everything, it is tasteless. In addition, with each day of storage, it is becoming tougher. The heads of cabbage, processed according to the new technology, will be kept fresh, soft and sweet for several months. “I already have a registered trademark, Kachan Zdorovya, and I want to create a product that the market did not know yet,” he says. - There are great prospects, but at the same time there are many difficulties. The market will have to be created from scratch. Explain to retail outlets and consumers that such a product now generally exists. And that he is worth his money. Because preliminary estimates have shown that the price will not be low."
Michael already has a partner with whom he will implement this idea - WINETIME supermarket chain. He is also looking for partners for the entire production cycle: farmers, processors and canneries.
Mikhail Nagornyak on cooperation with Raiffeisen Bank Aval “Raiffeisen BankAval is the first one in which I opened an account as a private entrepreneur in 2003. I did not choose for a long time. In my youth I was fond of economic and financial games, "Monopoly" and the like. He got his hand and at the same time figured out what kind of banking services a business needed. This financial institution was perfect. My path was not easy - the business was not always developing steadily. My path was not easy - the business did not always develop stably. Very difficult periods periodically happened. It was money, it was not ... And I can say that my bank really, not just in words, became my reliable travel companion and friend. As a lifesaver, we used the bank's credit line. My business has a feature: it is seasonal. Therefore, my sales are a strictly limited period of a year, part of winter and part of spring. The rest of the time there are no sales. For example, it is summer, we are actively working, but there is no money coming from outside at all. These "financial swings" have to be treated very carefully. In order to somehow smooth out the situation, we use different solutions. To stretch the period of receipt of money, we give many discounts for early payment. But this does not always work. A salary needs to be paid constantly, especially to employees of working specialties. Often they want a daily payment. Delay - just do not go to work. And I have a hot season and there should be no downtime. Here the bank’s credit instruments come to the rescue. We take an overdraft and pay all on time ... Also, about three years ago, we bought equipment with credit money: seed processing machines. They were very necessary for business development, rent "pulled" a lot of money. Now we have our own. And right now we are closing the roof in the warehouse - also for credit money. There is a need for loans, this tool gives an impetus to business, helps to bring to a new level. I hope to continue to receive support and timely assistance from the bank in the difficult Ukrainian business realities.
