MA
Mohamed Afsal
Managing Director
Strategy, partnerships, and the long arc of the brand — from first harvest to national recognition.
About
A Malayalam word for leaf — now growing where nothing was supposed to grow.
We did not come to Saudi Arabia because it was easy. We came because ninety percent of this land is desert, most fresh produce is still imported, and Vision 2030 asks for solutions that match the scale of the challenge — with science, soul, and a stubborn belief that the freshest food in the desert should come from the desert.
Saudi Arabia & the future of agriculture
National ambition meets desert pragmatism.
Saudi Arabia is reimagining agriculture: massive investment in controlled-environment farming, desalination-aware water use, and local supply chains that reduce import reliance. Vision 2030 and the National Strategy for Agriculture set a clear direction — more homegrown calories and horticulture, done with precision and respect for climate reality.
Controlled-environment agriculture is not a trend here — it is infrastructure for food security, tourism, and healthier plates. Ela exists to be part of that story: premium produce, transparent operations, and partnerships that keep value in the Kingdom.
What we stand for
Values you will feel in the leaf and in the contract.
Every page of this site traces back to three ideas — they are not decoration; they are how we hire, grow, and partner.
01
Science
Data-backed growing: sensors, recirculation, and disciplined harvest windows — because flavour should be repeatable, not lucky.
02
Soul
Ela (എല) means leaf. We carry Malayalam roots and Gulf hospitality into how we pack, partner, and show up — without nostalgia theatre.
03
Future
Aligned with Saudi Arabia’s push for food security, water stewardship, and a thriving bioeconomy — starting in Riyadh, built to scale.
The origin
Three friends — and a word that travelled.
Ela began as a conversation between three friends who shared roots in South India and a fascination with what Saudi Arabia is building in agritech. We did not want another import story; we wanted a farm that could stand beside the Kingdom’s best hospitality and retail — with produce that is honest, traceable, and unmistakably fresh.
Alongside us sits a growing circle of agronomists, systems engineers, and local operators — experts who make the greenhouse reliable long after the ribbon is cut. The founders set the compass; the team steers the ship every day.
Leadership
Founders at the helm.
Mohamed Afsal, Mohamed Irfan, and Salith Rashnad lead Ela as Managing Director, Chief Operations Officer, and Chief Technology Officer — backed by specialists in crop science, automation, and commercial partnerships as we scale.
MI
Mohamed Irfan
Chief Operations Officer
Greenhouse rhythm: production, quality, logistics, and the discipline that keeps shelves and kitchens supplied.
SR
Salith Rashnad
Chief Technology Officer
Systems, automation, and data — from IoT telemetry to the roadmap for AI-assisted crop planning.
Experts & partners
We work with agronomists, climate-control specialists, and training partners aligned with Saudi agricultural institutes — so knowledge transfer and Saudisation are not afterthoughts; they are built into how the farm scales. As we grow, expect more names here: the people in lab coats and on the harvest floor who make Ela possible.
“We carry our roots — Malayalam, South Indian, the ancient wisdom of cultivation — into every conversation, without nostalgia.”
Brand voice
Heritage and horizon
The name carries Kerala roots. The farm carries Saudi innovation — NFT lines for greens and herbs, Dutch buckets for strawberries, and a roadmap toward AI-assisted crop planning as volumes scale. When we talk about technology, it is because it changes what you taste on the plate.
