Sodastream Archives - Michael Horesh Business Coach and Mentor

20 August 2018

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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel

Usually, if Israel’s economy hits the foreign press, it has reported with a negative connotation. A recent detailed article in The Guardian newspaper from the UK is an excellent example, primed with selective details…..although I will not provide the link.

Again, usually, the bare facts are very different. Just take three examples from this week’s news.

ITEM 1: According to the UK’s Department of International Trade, 33 Israeli companies have set up shop in the UK during the past 12 months alone, joining over 300 other such businesses. It is estimated that the newcomers have already created about 610 jobs.

(It might be cheap to add, but I can only assume that this new wealth is located not in constituencies associated with the Parliamentary supporters of Jeremy Corbyn).

ITEM 2: Sodastream has a clear track record of creating employment for Palestinians and Bedouin, despite the claims of Israel’s opponents. It has been announced that PepsiCo has just bought the company for US$3.2 billion. I wonder if these same haters will suddenly stop drinking Pepsi products.

ITEM 3: Lana Del Rey is one of America’s most talented performing artists. She announced her intention to visit the Holy Land next month, and her statement was met with a monumental level of hate on social media. What impressed me most was her response.

I believe music is universal and should be used to bring us together. … Performing in Tel Aviv is not a political statement or a commitment to the politics there just like singing here in California doesn’t mean my views are in alignment w my current governments opinions or sometimes inhuman actions.

Del Rey is one of scores of artists this summer who are performing in Israel. They have fans from across the demographic, and that is what she is recognising.

It is this openness that is one of the fundamental strengths of Israel’s economy. It is there for all others, whatever their commercial make up. Those who wish to ignore it and to reject it are the ones who will lose out.

10 November 2015

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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Business, Israel, Jerusalem, Palestinians

Boris Johnson, mayor of London, conservative MP and possible future Prime Ministerial material, is leading a delegation of commercial leaders this week to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

His Monday morning in Tel Aviv was a great success for the locals. And that should come as no surprise. Bilateral trade between the two countries has grown consistently for over a decade. And Israeli companies have raised over $3.0bn in London financial markets in the past two years alone.

As Johnson himself said at a function: “Why would you – of all the countries in the region – why would you boycott the one which is actually a functioning democracy and a pluralist, open society…. the most vibrant?” And when interviewed on Britain’s Channel 4 news, Johnson referred to an academic boycott of Israel as ‘foolish’.

Johnson is not alone, both in his perception of how Israel and UK can work together and how BDS is an impediment to peace. Jan Koum, founder of WattsApp, tweeted his objection to BDS this week. Lord Robert Winston, IVF Pioneer. was similarly emphatic in his words, when receiving an honourary doctorate at the Weizman Institute from the British ambassador to Israel.

For all these announcements, this is also the week, when the EU is insisting on invoking its policy that products manufactured in the Palestinian territories are no longer considered as Israeli, and thus must be labeled accordingly. Israeli officialdom has reacted angrily, noting that there are dozens of political – military conflicts around the globe. Yet in not one other incidence has the EU taken such an aggressive and one-sided approach.

Will this European move help the peace process? According to the respected journalist Danny Rubinstein, there may be about 1,000 manufacturing Israeli enterprises in the Palestinian territories. Many have parts made elsewhere and thus beat the regulations that way. A few, like Sodastream have left the area, thus leaving dozens of Palestinians unemployed. As for the rest, very few export…. and some are improving their packaging, which will actually help sales.

Just for the record, Palestinians employed in Israeli West Bank factories must by law receive all social benefits, such as national insurance as per any other worker in Israel. These are far more generous than those of the Palestinian Authority. In fact, however measured, their wages overall are much higher than their counterparts in Ramallah etc.

Johnson’s visit is all about building links with new partners. Prosperity increases the chances of peace. While the attention is on the London- Tel Aviv – Ramallah axis, this week Israel signed an agreement with Jordan. A new joint industrial zone will be built. “The Jordan Gate” will be supported by the construction of a new bridge to link the two sides. Is that the most interesting lesson for all in this time of heightened tensions?

4 February 2014

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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Business, Israel, Palestinians

There is much talk these days of the potential of a widening boycott against Israeli businesses, because……well, it sounds politically correct.

Israeli advocates point to the hypocrisy of the situation. The boycott campaign proponents (BDS) do not advocate an equivalent boycott of China or elsewhere. Two Israelis, resident in New York, have just concluded a US$100 million property contract on behalf of the government of Qatar, no problems there apparently. A Palestinian survey reveals that 70% of respondents declared a preference for Israeli products. And for all the controversy of Scarlett Johansson’s advert for SodaStream during the Superbowl and the subsequent venom of Oxfam, Palestinians clearly enjoy working for Israeli employers in the West Bank.

OK, but what about encouraging the Arab sector in Israel?

Well, in the past two years, the Prime Minister’s Office has initiated a couple of seminars promoting the issue. Further, a technology incubator has been created in Nazareth, a city combining Jews, Moslems and Christians. Similarly, so few people know about the Al Bawader investment fund, set up in 2010 through an initiative of the Israeli government and the Israeli venture capital group, Pitango. It has a fund of over US$50 million to invest specifically in Arab ventures within Israel.

Al Bawader has a current crop of seven start-ups on its books. A typical example is Ms. Mass Watad, born in 1980 and who studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She currently owns a chain of diet clinics and in addition has developed a massage therapy. She intends to set up a series of franchises in the Arab world.

Datumate Ltd, very clearly in the high-tech sector, was founded by Dr. Jad Jarroush. Employing ten people and benefitting from the marketing reach of Pitango, it offers software applications for customers in the area of land surveying, civil engineering and architectural planning.

As I write this, there is a very active television campaign in Israel, rejecting racism in all its forms. So few of Israel’s detractors will tell you about this prime-time effort. So few will report on the successes of Al Bawader. There again, so few of them reside in countries with similar adverts.

17 April 2013

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Categories: Business, Israel, Jerusalem

Yesterday, I had the honour and privilege to attend a ceremony at the President’s residence in Jerusalem, where 120 soldiers were presented awards for outstanding service. This is an annual event, traditionally held on Independence Day.

Israel has come a long way since it was founded in 1948. The population has multiplied ten fold. The economy is no longer renowned for Jaffa oranges but the technology behind the production of fruit, medical devices and clean energy. It is the one country in the Middle East with a growing Christian population.

Yes, after 65 years, all is not perfect. Just look at the continuing problem of football violence. Every winter, strategists fret if the Holy Land will receive enough rainfall. And, of course, neighbours such as Iran, Hamas and Hizbollah still look to remove the country from the world map.

However, these 120 soldiers showed a country which strives for excellence. Just look at the composition of the group

Despite the macho environment, around a third were female.
Around 10% were born in other countries
One was confined to a wheelchair, but remains determined to do “their bit” for their country
The religious make up ranged from ultra orthodox Jews to irreligious to Druze.
While some served in front line units, others were developing capabilities to secure the defence of the civilian population.

As President Peres reminded the audience in his address, the official name of the army remains the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). It is based on strong humanitarian principles that cannot be hidden by the weapons of its enemies.

And how does this ethic enter Israeli society? Sodastream has seen tremendous success over the past decade. Trading on NASDAQ and with recent adverts at the Superbowl, Sodastream has never hidden the fact that it has a factory on what Palestinians see as their land. That said, I encourage you to watch this video, prepared by Sodastream, which shows how despite 65 years of continuous threats, Israel continues to improve its model for successful integration and pluralism. Happy Birthday!

Pages

Israel’s economy, as seen by others

The bridge between Boris, BDS and business in Israel

Israeli entrepreneurs that you do not hear about outside Israel, because…..

What we can achieve in 65 years

"Michael transformed the way I think and approach working, and also how to monetize my social media and communal projects."

"Michael helped my high tech company take off."

"Michael has been an invaluable resource to me throughout all of the steps of starting up my business."

“Working with Michael Horesh is like having root canal treatment, marriage counselling and business coaching all rolled into one, successfully.”