Ravi Patel
Ravi Patel is a Kenyan agribusiness leader steering Subati Group Ltd. into one of East Africa’s most diversified and sustainably run horticultural exporters. Appointed managing director in 2015, he has scaled the company’s flagship floriculture estate near Naivasha from 89 to 91 hectares, raising annual production to more than 90 million premium‐rose stems shipped weekly to Europe, the Middle East, and Australia.
Keen to hedge against price swings in the flower market, Patel launched a 20-hectare, climate-controlled herb complex in Kibwezi in 2017, cultivating basil, chives, mint, and specialty oregano that now account for 30 percent of Subati’s export revenue. The group is piloting pomegranate and mango orchards on reclaimed dryland, targeting fresh-cut and purée contracts in the Gulf and Asia.
Sustainability sits at the core of Patel’s strategy. Subati powers half of its greenhouses with a 3.2-MW solar array, recycles 85 percent of irrigation water through wetland bio-filters, and composts flower waste into organic fertiliser for its herb fields. These practices have secured GLOBALG.A.P., ETI, BSCI, and BRC certifications, positioning Subati as a benchmark for responsible agriculture in Africa.
With a workforce of 1,800, Patel champions continuous training, subsidised childcare, and women-in-leadership programmes, proving that commercial success and social impact can flourish side by side in Kenya’s booming horticultural sector.