t Marginpar, "We grow our people, our people grow flowers" is more than a motto. It's the way we think, act, and work every day. It's about trust, empowerment, and care for the people behind our blooms, and the communities around us.
Hamuka: working together, improving every day
Since 2012, we’ve embraced Hamuka; our version of the Japanese Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement. It’s not a programme or a process. It’s a culture.
We guide by supporting, listening, and empowering. It’s about shared ownership and open communication.
Every voice matters and no idea is too small
We strive to engage introvert and extravert personalities to provide input equally. This way we try to bring together the diversity of personalities, their ideas and viewpoints and to forge them into a collective focus. Great things are never achieved by just one person; they are always achieved by teams.
And it works
Hamuka changed the way we work. People are happier, more confident, and more engaged.
Take Teresa. She started as a value adder. She noticed how the Hypericum crop could benefit from better support and came up with a new system. After testing and refining it with her team, rejection rates dropped significantly, and her idea is now used across all farms.
Many colleagues grow within the company. Take Miriam for example. She started as a junior manager and is now managing our Kariki Juja farm. She was one of the first female farm managers in Kenya.
”A lot of our staff, or value adders as we call them, have grown thanks to this way of working.
We’ve doubled our production in Kenya, without expanding land or headcount, thanks to this culture of ownership and shared learning. Our People & Culture cluster helps embed this mindset across every farm.
Wellbeing beyond the workday
People aren’t just employees. They’re parents, students, neighbours, friends. So we support them in all those roles. That’s why we offer:
- A warm, healthy lunch every day
- Flexible hours for breastfeeding mothers and employees who are studying
- Clean drinking water to take home
- Paid parental leave for both mothers and fathers
- On-site medical clinics for physical and mental health support, as well as health education
- A voice in decision-making, through active gender and welfare committees.
Equality, inclusion & respect
Behind Marginpar’s flowers, lies a quiet but powerful network: the Gender and Welfare Committees. These dynamic teams help shape and maintain a culture of fairness, respect, and care. The committees collect staff feedback, bring forward concerns, and prepare topics for monthly meetings with management. This helps turn everyday challenges into open dialogue and real under¬standing.
Their work goes beyond communication. The Gender Committee in particular is a strong advocate for maternal and reproductive well-being. They support fair maternity policies, raise awareness around gender-based violence, and ensure access to vital health information and services. From confidential support channels to policy advice, they are at the frontline of workplace equity.
These committees have contributed to a workplace where 50% of positions are held by women, not by quota, but by design. Their influence has also expanded awareness across the company on sensitive yet critical topics. Thanks to their efforts, employees feel seen, heard, and safe.
Growing strong communities: Marginpar Foundation
Marginpar is known for it: we like to empower our people. But making people grow and be empowered is not something we just put into practice on the workplace.
The Marginpar Foundation helps to make a difference in the daily lives of the communities around us. For example, we help build schools and additional classrooms, we improve roads and infrastructure, and we create free water points for the community. We have been doing this, and much more, for years. Since 2022, this work has been organised through the Marginpar Foundation, which invests in community-led projects connected to our farms.
Community led development
True impact starts with listening. That’s why the Foundation launched a capacity-building programme to support communities in shaping their own development. In partnership with the NGO DESECE, we’re running a three-phase training programme that gives the local committees the tools to identify needs, set priorities, and lead lasting change.
We began with a workshop in Kenya, bringing together seven communities. The response was full of energy and optimism. They even created their own motto: “We grow our people, our people grow great communities.” And we couldn’t agree more.
Choosing Marginpar means choosing people
When you choose Marginpar, you’re choosing more than quality flowers. You’re choosing a culture of care, collaboration and shared growth. Our social approach is practical, lived and driven by respect. It’s about living our values, not just talking about them. That’s the story behind every stem we send into the world.
