KENYA/UK – Flamingo Holdings founder, Richard ‘Dicky’ Evans, has been awarded a Knighthood in King Charles III’s New Year’s Honours List.
This award recognizes Sir Richard’s contributions to business, sport and charity in both Kenya and the UK, and is a testament to his values of service, entrepreneurship, community, optimism, and resilience.
All these values still endure through the businesses Sir Richard has created, including Homegrown in 1982 and Flamingo Holdings in 1994.
According to the Flamingo Horticulture LinkedIn post, Richard “Dicky” Evans OGW accepted His Majesty The King’s invitation to become a Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George in recognition of his business, sporting and charitable services to Kenya and the Commonwealth. He will be titled Sir Richard Evans, KCMG OGW.
“I am deeply grateful to His Majesty King Charles for conferring this honor upon me,” said Sir Richard.
“We both have deep rooted connections to Cornwall and to Kenya and I hope that this award will further highlight the beauty and strength of both lands and their peoples.”
Sir Richard was born in Penzance Hospital and left Cornwall for Kings College, London and went from there to Africa to build UN-funded clean water systems.
He established Flamingo Holdings, a UK distribution company in 1994 and is most proud of Flamingo’s success and remains in close contact with Martin Hudson, his Co-Founder.
Flamingo Horticulture is a core supplier of cut flowers and prepared vegetables to most of the UK’s leading retailers, including Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Waitrose, as well as international customers in Europe, South Africa, the Middle East, Japan and Australia.
The horticulture company has since grown both organically and through strategic acquisition in Kenya. For instance, In June 2023, Flamingo Horticulture acquired Naivasha-based flower firm Bigot Flower Kenya Plc for an undisclosed amount.
Flamingo Horticulture to invest USD2.4M into biological pesticide subsidiary in Kenya
Moreover, in another recent development, Flamingo Horticulture Investments announced that they will make a further investment of USD 2.4 million in subsidiary business Dudutech, its biological pesticide manufacturer in Africa.
Dudutech is a biotechnology business in operation since 2001 that plays a critical role in allowing their many international and Kenyan customers and the Flamingo Group to farm sustainably and adhere to farming and produce regulations across the globe.
The company will direct the additional funding towards expansion of production facilities at the biofactory site in Naivasha, Kenya, including an additional 4ha of greenhouses and an insectary.
The project is aimed at increasing production capabilities to provide additional beneficial predatory insects availability to meet growth in demand for biologicals and satisfy the needs of major growers in Africa, Europe and the Americas.
Thomas Mason, Managing Director Dudutech says: “We are incredibly excited to see Flamingo Horticulture Investments backing Dudutech.”
“The new investment will be used to further expand the company’s manufacturing capacity. Alongside this investment Dudutech will be recruiting into its management team, broadening its product range and increasing the scope of its international operations.”
According to Mason, this investment will allow Dudutech to grow their services to their customers in Africa, Europe and the Americas and ensure availability of our beneficial predatory insects, especially during peak seasons, where demand has outstripped supply in the past.
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