About us

Yakhin was founded in 1927 by Israel’s General Federation of Labor (the Histadrut) and is one of the country’s longest-established businesses. The company was established in the wake of the Fourth Aliyah (the fourth wave of Jewish immigration to Israel) with the object of creating employment for the new immigrants – a national necessity at the time. Yakhin achieved this by developing new Jewish settlements and supporting their agricultural activities as part of realizing the Zionist vision.

Over the years, Yakhin has played a leading role in promoting the Zionist enterprise, beginning with training workers, continuing with the cultivation of land, developing crop-growing methods, harvesting, and packing, and continuing with the management of agricultural industrial manufacturing plants and marketing agricultural produce in Israel and abroad. At one point, Yakhin accounted for more than a quarter of citrus production in Israel and was cultivating approximately 6,000 hectares of citrus plantations. This extensive agricultural activity led to substantial development of commerce, land settlement, and industrialization during the early years of the State, as well as the decades following its establishment.

In 1952, Yakhin's operation was combined with that of Hakal (the agricultural contracting company), forming one operational unit in which Yakhin dealt with the processing and marketing of the agricultural produce, while Hakal was responsible for employment of the workers and land settlement activity. Over the years, the activity of the Yakhin Group expanded into other fields, including its subsidiaries: Yakhin Industries Ltd., Hadarei Ginat Ltd., Etz Vanir Ltd., and others.

The global citrus sector became overcrowded during the 1980s, and Yakhin faced strong worldwide competition which severely affected its profitability and ability to continue operating. At the beginning of the 1990s, holdings in the company were sold to a corporation owned by Sami Shamoon, the international businessman and Zionist philanthropist, who set a target of returning the company to its glory days and leading Yakhin to overcome future challenges.

Mr. Shamoon settled the Group’s substantial liabilities, injected millions of dollars into the Group, and brought in international agricultural experts to advise on necessary changes and develop a plan for the Group’s continued operation. Mr. Shamoon's support enabled Yakhin to invest in the cultivation and development of crop varieties and to work towards developing a new marketing strategy for Israeli produce worldwide. The Group did indeed achieve considerable success in terms of promoting new varieties in the global market, such as the “Sweetie” citrus, which enjoyed meteoric success worldwide, even in distant locations such as Japan.

Mr. Shamoon died in 2009 after a long, courageous battle with a severe illness. The Group is currently owned jointly by his widow, Mrs. Angela Shamoon, and their daughter, Ms. Alexandra Shamoon.

The Group is continuing Mr. Shamoon’s vision of promoting and developing the Israeli economy, and currently has hundreds of hectares under cultivation. It is replanting and engaged in a continuous process of testing new varieties and advanced agricultural technologies. In addition to the Group's activities in the agricultural sector, it also owns income-generating real estate assets nationwide, among which are a substantial number of industrial and commercial real estate assets. The Group is continuing to develop land reserves, including privately-owned land, while emphasizing the development and construction of industrial, recreational and commercial centers in the outlying areas of the country.