From making Aliyah to establishing a blooming flower business

Hannah Shukrun and Anne Eve recently made aliya from France. Hannah: “I began looking for science-related work but couldn’t and anything because I lacked experience. When the pandemic hit I realized I needed a different course of action. But in the interim, Anne and I began volunteering. We offered to help farmers whose gig workers were barred from coming to work, to pick crops.” With no flights, however, the produce they had just picked, originally meant for export, was beginning to rot. On a whim, the two women offered to buy flowers from a farmer, in the hope of selling them.

The export-quality flowers flew off the shelves, especially among the French-born community. The young women realized that with the right setup they could help support additional farmers. Launching a small business, named Hanna Hava, the two began partnering with small-scale producers to offer Israelis across the country home-grown produce that can’t usually be found in supermarkets. Via social media, they spread the word.

Virus-induced lockdowns and restrictions apart, the young immigrants had no idea how to run their fledgling enterprise, and turned to MATI for help. We instantly provided long-term training in the creation of a professional business plan, helped them develop their business model to include group field trips (lunch with fresh produce included), and offered expert advice on brand identity - both offline and online. Hanna Hava, an idea born of the pandemic, is now a financially viable business.