Apiculture underpins modern food production. 35% of total food volume requires animal-pollination. Despite its foundational role, pollination services account for approximately 40% of total apiculture revenues.
Ultimately, for a first-time farmland investor, it comes down to defining your investment objectives (income, capital appreciation, lifestyle) and finding the right people to help you navigate what can be very local markets, and finding the right partners to manage the investment over the long term.
In this episode of Getting to the Deal, host Krystyn Harrison sits down with Marcus Mitchell, founder of Shire Capital Management. Marcus has overseen more than a billion dollars worth of farmland acquisitions and made the bold decision in 2021 to leave his institutional role to start his own firm focused on healthy food production.
Agtech startups are challenged by high capital expenditures and long timelines, said Marcus Mitchell, chief executive officer of Shire Capital Management. “There’s definitely a funding gap and I see this as an effort to de-risk deals in the sector so more conventional capital allocators have a reason to engage,” he said.
In our three minute discussion, Marcus shares how Shire Capital Management helps niche agricultural businesses scale and increase profitability. We also talk about insights into the future of our food system, categories they see as winners and why it is an exciting time in food.
North America is a net exporter of fresh apples, with over half of the 1.1B lbs exported in 2022 going to Mexico. The American and Canadian industries are very interconnected, with 80% of Canadian imports coming from the US, and 15% of America’s from Canada.
Bi-weekly perspectives on food systems, real assets and business updates
