History Sher Ethiopia

Construction on the project commenced in June 2005. Slightly over a year later, on 1 July 2006, the project, Sher Ethiopia PLC, was officially opened by the Ethiopian Minister of Trade and Industry Ato Girma Birru. The first greenhouses were already in full operation at that time.
From the very outset, the project contractors were building greenhouses at a rate of 1.5 hectares per week. The greenhouses are built in blocks of 9 hectares, with a width of 100 m and a length of 900 m. A processing area is set up across the full width of the front of this greenhouse block. This area offers all the required facilities such as cold stores, a packing area, offices, toilet blocks and a canteen. Currently (2011), the construction work on greenhouses is still in full swing. The contractors are building now at a rate of 0,7 hectare per week. As soon as the greenhouses are finished, they will be planted full of roses.

The growers

An area of 140 hectare was transferred to Dutch nationals who started a business in Ethiopia.
Once these rose bushes have delivered their first batch, the complex will be transferred to a grower, who will bear responsibility for the greenhouses in question. This grower is allowed to pay back the costs over a period of around 10 years and after this period he will have full ownership of the flower farm. Sher Ethiopia is now building for his own production. Now Sher Ethiopia built 250ha greenhouses for himself. That means for a total of almost 400 ha of greenhouses is completed now in full production. In each of these companies, the staff are of Ethiopian origin. This way, the local population can benefit most from this project.
Afriflora