By Aditya Shah T'16
Aditya is a second-year student at Tuck from Mumbai, India. Prior to Tuck, he worked in his family’s tea manufacturing and exports business in India and Russia. He is deeply passionate about all things food, and post-Tuck will join General Mills Inc. in the Snacks Innovation Division.
“Asante sana, rafiki,” thanked Jim, as we finished interviewing yet another farmer in a remote Kenyan county, in an accent so perfect, it was as if he’d been speaking Kiswahili his whole life. I had to remind myself that we had been in-country for barely two weeks- the enthusiasm and gusto of my team members had made the transition from New England to Africa seem seamless!
Six second year Tuck students from varied backgrounds joined forces in early October 2015, to form the Kenya OnSite Global Consulting team. We had been staffed by a large American company that aimed to enter the Kenyan market. After three short weeks of client briefings, survey creation and pre-departure preparation in Hanover, we were off to Nairobi! Our main goal for the time in-country was to collect primary data by interviewing farmers, retailers, and other stakeholders across several counties in Kenya, with the intention of mining this data upon our return to Tuck.
Thus started an epic, breathless journey—one in which we traversed seven counties across a thousand kilometers, interviewed over a hundred people and forged innumerable relationships 
within the Kenyan farming community—all over a span of 18 days. Our typical day involved driving up to farms in small teams of two or three, armed with questionnaires and good cheer, to ask farmers about their habits. We quickly learned the merits of being flexible while collecting data in a place like Kenya—oftentimes appointments did not work out, or thirty-minute interviews stretched into three-hour-long “cultural experiences.” Aided and abetted by a wonderful faculty advisor, Shannon McKeen T'91, and a super-helpful client, we managed to comfortably exceed the interview targets we’d set for ourselves and even dig out key trends while still in-country.
While the weekdays were hectic—with lots of walking around in dung, driving across dirt roads and recouping in the evenings to interpret data—we managed to take a weekend off and visit the Maasai Mara, recently voted the best safari destination in Africa by the World Travel Awards. Boy, did it live up to the hype! Our hotel jeep picked us up directly from the “runway” (best described as a strip of evenly-laid dirt) and we were off on the safari as soon as we landed. Over the course of a day and a half, we saw over 40 types of animals and birds, including the ever-elusive leopard, a full-grown black rhino with her calf, and three different lion prides.
As we headed back to our respective homes to enjoy our Winter Break, I reflected on this once-in-a-lifetime journey. Two words stuck out:
Complacent in the promise of big-name jobs and three-figure salaries with a Tuck diploma, it’s possible for us MBAs to sometimes forget an entire world which exists, of farmers and laborers, of guides and drivers, many who may not have access to basic needs like electricity and water. Stepping into this world can help us all become more empathetic individuals.
I witnessed first-hand the infectious enthusiasm and unbridled power of a team of individuals united toward achieving a common goal. We disagreed passionately, laughed heartily and forged bonds which will hopefully last well beyond Tuck.
I’ve had some amazing experiences while at Tuck, but this one easily ranks right up there with the best. Until our next safari then, “Kwaheri!”
(Photo above: The Kenya Fun Time Express Team: (From L to R) Alex King, Janet Sun-Jieni, Sara Soo McGuigan, Jim Harig, Alex Kremer and Adi Shah; Photo at right: Alex Kremer in Imani Farms posing with Farmer Maina’s prize cow.)
Farmer John and Farmer Patrick striking a pose after a hard afternoon of interviews with T'16s Jim Harig, Sara Soo McGuigan, and Alex King.
T'16s Adi Shah and Janet Sun-Jieni sharing some Tuck swag with Olenguruone Dairy Co-operative heads, Joseph and Emily.