Pharmacy Daily | Scaling lessons from lychee farming

QUEENSLAND-BASED pharmacist owner and entrepreneur Roy Packer shares his thoughts on the parallels between agricultural practices and pharmacy.

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A FEW weeks ago, our family finished netting our lychee trees, getting ready for a new season starting this week.

As I looked over the orchard, something about scaling really stood out.

Last year, we made a bold decision: we halved the number of trees in our orchard.

These were trees we had harvested from for over 30 years of my life.

By keeping only the most productive trees and newer varieties, something unexpected happened - with fewer trees, we now have more fruit.

Yes, part of that is seasonal and weather-related, but a big factor is the extra care we can now give each tree.

With a reduced workload across the orchard, 98% of our remaining trees are now laden with fruit.

Less volume, more focus, better outcomes.

It made me reflect on how often, in business, we assume that "bigger is better" when it comes to productivity and profit.

This week I was also challenged by Faith Driven Entrepreneurs in Uganda and Kenya, who are approaching Africa's food supply differently.

With cold storage solutions not feasible, the organisation developed KaFresh - a plant-based spray that creates an edible coating around fruit and vegetables to make them last longer.

Instead of just increasing supply, it is reducing wastage by extending shelf life and improving preservation.

That shift in thinking reduces exploitation in the supply chain, supports market vendors with sustainable produce, and cuts food wastage for customers.

It is a powerful reframing of the problem.

So what does this mean for my own industry?

Maybe scale in pharmacy is not about how many stores we own, but how many lives we intentionally invest in.

Healthy productivity and healthy profit should not come at the expense of healthy people - they should exist because healthy people are the goal.

I don't have all the answers, but I'm increasingly drawn to proactive, preventative and personalised health.

I want to build pharmacy experiences that drive patient loyalty and profitability through increased health literacy, personalised solutions, and tailored profiles for those ready to take their preventative health seriously.

Pharmacy is changing, and I'm privileged to work alongside cohorts of pharmacists who are committed to making that new future a reality.

This future will take the collaboration and integration from many stakeholders.

My question to you is: What do you see as the opportunities to change people's experiences within pharmacy?