From East Africa to Global Dairy Logistics | Robert Magambo

Intro:

Welcome to the Milk Theory Podcast, where we look at the future of food through the eyes of the people building it. From the daily dedication on the farm to the cutting edge science in the lab, we share the real stories and unmatched expertise of the people feeding our world. This isn't just about the data, it's about the purpose and the passion driving us all. Let's dive into their journey, unlock their wisdom, and discover how they are reshaping the future through food.

Ben Jewett:

Hi, welcome to the Milk Theory Podcast, the podcast where we decode the future of food. Today we're joined by Robert Magambo, the director of customer service here at Idaho Milk Products. Robert, welcome.

Robert Magambo:

Thank you. It's an honor to be here.

Ben Jewett:

We're grateful that you're here. So I have to say, you're always super well dressed. So who do we give credit to for that?

Robert Magambo:

Oh my dear wife.

Ben Jewett:

Oh yeah? Yeah, that's good. I mean, you always come in with the best shirt, so I just had to point that out.

Robert Magambo:

Thank you.

Ben Jewett:

So Robert, we kind of want to start by just your background a little bit. Where'd you grow up and what was life as a child?

Robert Magambo:

Yeah, sure, sure. I grew up in Kenya. I was born in Uganda, East Africa, but grew up in Kenya. And then did all my post or pre-university education in Kenya and then moved to Uganda and then came to the United States in August of 1992.

Ben Jewett:

Okay. So you moved from Uganda to Kenya, then back to Uganda. So what was your parents' reasoning to move to Kenya when you were young?

Robert Magambo:

During that, this was in the 70s and Uganda was going through a civil war at that time. So we moved to Kenya for that reason other than the fact that my dad had been offered a job in Kenya, but then it coincided really with the Civil War happening in Uganda.

Ben Jewett:

What was that like for your parents? Was it really difficult for them to try and make that transition or?

Robert Magambo:

I mean, it was. They moved away from home, their home and trying to raise a young family in a different country. And I know they missed going back to Uganda quite a bit because the Civil War at that time, we're talking in the 1970s, was really a violent and brutal one. Many people might have heard of Idi Amin, a dictator. There was actually even a movie created about that period called The Last King of Scotland.

Ben Jewett:

Okay. Yes.

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. So during that period of time.

Ben Jewett:

All right. So what was Kenya like growing up?

Robert Magambo:

Kenya growing up was fun for us, for my siblings and I. I have a brother and a sister. We lived in the countryside in Kenya. And I guess that's where my love for nature came because we were in the Western side of the country and the highlands and all of that. So I had a wonderful childhood. My parents did a wonderful job of giving us a great childhood. Kenya was also very memorable because that's where I met my wife.

Ben Jewett:

Oh really?

Robert Magambo:

In the fourth grade.

Ben Jewett:

Fourth grade?

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. In the fourth grade.

Ben Jewett:

What was that meeting like? Do you remember anything specific? What was it like your fourth grade self, Robert?

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. I walked into a class room that Masuka was in, my wife was in. And the teacher had me sit at a table in front of Masuka. And she'd always ask to borrow my stationary. And I guess the childhood friendship began from that because she'd always borrow my stationary or always give her whatever stationary she asked for. And the childhood friendship developed from that.

Ben Jewett:

That's awesome. Yeah. She's probably sitting there like, "Man, I could probably dress him a lot better." I'm just kidding.

Robert Magambo:

Probably. Yeah. Probably.

Ben Jewett:

Oh, just kidding. That's really cool. Fourth grade, that's incredible. That's really cool. So you've known her most of your life then?

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. Yeah. Most of my life. We've been friends since the fourth grade, thankfully to this day.

Ben Jewett:

And it'll continue. What are some of your fondest memories that you have growing up in Kenya?

Robert Magambo:

Walking amongst the tea plantations out there in the highlands of Kenya. One of the funnest things that my brother and sister and I used to like to do was to go take long walks in the tea plantations out in the highlands of Kenya. And maybe actually that's why I love Oregon so much because Oregon, for whatever reason, reminds us so much of Western Kenya.

Ben Jewett:

Really?

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. Where we grew up. Yeah.

Ben Jewett:

That's really cool. So is tea a really big, like the tea plantations? Is that a big industry there?

Robert Magambo:

Absolutely. Yes. Yeah. In fact, Kenya is, I believe after Sri Lanka something is one of the largest exporters of tea in the world.

Ben Jewett:

Really?

Robert Magambo:

Yeah.

Ben Jewett:

I didn't know. That's really cool.

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. So tea is one of the main exports of Kenya to this day.

Ben Jewett:

Okay.

Robert Magambo:

Yeah.

Ben Jewett:

Now you have to forgive me. When I think Kenya, I just think of the Savannah and all that. I'm sure that's very common.

Robert Magambo:

The safaris and all of that.

Ben Jewett:

The safaris and all that. And you said you grew up loving nature in with that being brought up. Was the tea plantations part of that or did you have other experiences that kind of went with that?

Robert Magambo:

Well, my siblings and I... I don't know. Sometimes when we think about this, we wonder what we were doing as kids doing this, but we would track elephants and we would track also leopards.

Ben Jewett:

What?

Robert Magambo:

Yeah.

Ben Jewett:

Oh my gosh.

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. Earlier this year we went back to Kenya actually back to Western Kenya where we had grown up and we were like, "What on earth were we thinking when we did this? " And needless to say, we didn't tell our parents that we were doing those kind of things until when we were much older, they were like Are you kidding?

Ben Jewett:

Because they have the same thoughts that you have now, right?

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. Because at that time when we were growing up, you had the tea plantations and all of that, but then you also had forests around it around the tea plantations and all. So yeah, we'd walk in the tea plantations and then after that we'd go and track elephants and leopards.

Ben Jewett:

Man, no what an adventure. That's a really cool... I mean, yeah, dangerous, sure. Would I recommend it to anybody? No.

Robert Magambo:

No. Neither would I.

Ben Jewett:

But that's really cool. I mean, just being one with nature a little bit, I'm sure that...

Robert Magambo:

That's where our love for nature came.

Ben Jewett:

Okay. Yes. So you moved to Kenya, and then when you got a little bit older, you moved back to Uganda?

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. So after finishing high school, at that time, Ugandans were not so welcome in Kenya. So after high school, I couldn't go on with my education in Kenya. And at that time also the Kenyans were beginning to want the Ugandans to go back to Uganda. So we moved back to Uganda, but then moving back to Uganda, I couldn't go on with my education because I had had a Kenyan education. So I was kind of caught between a rock and a hard place.

Ben Jewett:

So what do you mean by, what were the differences?

Robert Magambo:

There really wasn't that much difference. It's just that because I had gotten a Kenyan education, and Ugandans, because of their experience in Kenya, where they were told to go back to Uganda, and all of that. Uganda didn't recognize the Kenyan education.

Ben Jewett:

Interesting.

Robert Magambo:

Yes.

Ben Jewett:

Interesting. So is that what led to the decision to come to the United States?

Robert Magambo:

Yes, it is. It is. Yeah, because at the time when I was growing up, there were two things that were really revered by young folks like me. One was land, and the other was education. And I didn't have land. I was a little kid, or rather a young man, at the time. And I really, really wanted to get an education. So I tried going to different places around other countries around East Africa to continue that pursuit of education. But those didn't pan out. And because Uganda was a former British colony, I also tried going to the UK to pursue that, and that didn't pan out. And then one fine day, my dad figured, why not try going to the United States? Which was for us at that time, just something that you only dreamed of, because the United States was this country you only saw on TV.

The place we refer to it as the land of milk and honey where we didn't even think dirt existed, because our view of America was what we saw on TV. Sitcoms and things like that. So like, oh, go to America. So with my dad's encouragement, one day walked into the US embassy. They had a section in the embassy called the US Information Service, and I got the big college book.

Ben Jewett:

Oh really?

Robert Magambo:

And randomly selected 19 colleges from that book and sent letters to them. And lo and behold, some of them responded. And I began a dialogue with the colleges like that. And eventually, one of them, Bethany Lutheran College, which is based in Mankato, Minnesota, eventually sent me the necessary paperwork, which I could use to apply for a student visa to come to the United States. But just getting the visa as a process in itself for shorthand. And even after getting the paperwork, it took me three or four different tries to get the visa before I finally got it.

Ben Jewett:

Interesting. That's interesting. Where did you come into the United States?

Robert Magambo:

I landed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in August of 1992.

Ben Jewett:

Okay.

Robert Magambo:

Yeah.

Ben Jewett:

Now, before we go, where was Masuka during all of this?

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. She was back in Kenya.

Ben Jewett:

Oh, okay.

Robert Magambo:

Yeah, she was back in Kenya. So when we moved back from Kenya back to Uganda, Masuka and I thought, okay, that was the end of our friendship. We'd never see each other. But we said, "Let's continue communicating." So Masuka was far better than I was. She would write letters, but my letter writing skills at that time were hopeless. But somehow we maintained the friendship. Even though she'd write 10 letters and I'd write one back, we still kept that communication line. Kept the communication.

Ben Jewett:

That's really cool. So what was your first impression of the United States? You talked about what you thought the United States was.

Robert Magambo:

Yeah.

Ben Jewett:

So when you got to the United States, what was it like for you?

Robert Magambo:

I couldn't believe it. Let's put it this way. I didn't even know what escalators were.

Ben Jewett:

Really?

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. Or even the doors that opened.

Ben Jewett:

Automatic doors?

Robert Magambo:

Automatic doors. So it was just things that I couldn't even imagine. And then even just driving from the airport after I'd been picked up back to Mankato, where Bethany Lutheran College was located, was an adventure because I was driving a car that had cruise control. Oh really? And I remember thinking, " How is this car moving on its own?” And I can see the guy who's driving it is not really doing anything with the pedals. And then also air conditioning in the car was something that was unbelievable for me.

Ben Jewett:

My goodness.

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. I mean, I grew up in Civil War, Uganda. And then also, Kenya, we were pretty sheltered too. So the first impression of America was like, "Oh my gosh, wow."

Ben Jewett:

Was it a difficult adjustment for you?

Robert Magambo:

No, it was not because I struggled to get here. So I was thankful to get here. And when I finally managed to get here, it just put my nose to the grindstone and stayed focused on my pursuit for that education. And then I was very fortunate too that in the town where I went and the school where I went, the professors I encountered and their families adopted me pretty much and helped make my transition into this country not as bad as it probably could have been. Yeah.

Ben Jewett:

Made it a lot easier, I'm sure.

Robert Magambo:

Correct.

Ben Jewett:

Yeah. Got to have that community around yourself.

Robert Magambo:

Absolutely.

Ben Jewett:

That's cool that you were able to get that so quickly. What did you decide to study on? You were talking like that's what you wanted to do. So what was your educational pursuit?

Robert Magambo:

International Business with a Concentration in Marketing actually.

Ben Jewett:

Oh really? Nice!

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. But ever since I was a young child, I've always wanted to be involved in cross border anything.

Ben Jewett:

Okay.

Robert Magambo:

Cross-border anything, diplomacy, trade or...

Ben Jewett:

Do you think that stemmed from the Civil War, you think?

Robert Magambo:

I don't know. I don't know, but I've always wanted to do that. So when I came to the United States, that's what I studied. I studied international business, and then with the concentration in marketing too.

Ben Jewett:

And so you're at school. I'm interested in the Masuka story here. I want to come back to that. And because I'm just wondering, when does she reenter the picture? When does the romantic part of it start?

Robert Magambo:

That's funny. Remember, we kept our communication and credit to her. She was a real good letter writer, and I tried to keep up. But when I was here in the United States for a year, she sent a postcard. And on that postcard, all that it says was wait for me. I'm coming. And then about three or four months later, she made it to the US.

Ben Jewett:

Wow.

Robert Magambo:

And the friendship kind of grew into it. Continued from that.

Ben Jewett:

Did she go to the same college as you as well?

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. She also came to Minnesota, came to the same city we were in, Mankato, but then we were in different schools in Mankato.

Ben Jewett:

Okay. But still

Robert Magambo:

But still. So we continued the friendship that way.

Ben Jewett:

Wow. Yeah. I mean, that story and that journey itself is incredible. That's an amazing... They can make a movie on that one, Robert.

Robert Magambo:

We call our marriage our adventure in life together.

Ben Jewett:

Yeah. I mean, that's awesome. That's amazing. I've met your wife a couple handful of times, and it's just like you guys really seem to just get along and really are friends. To me, that's very inspiring. So I love that. So you went to college, you went to school. What was your first job out of school? What did you do?

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. So I was very fortunate. I worked hard in school because I had struggled to get here and worked my butt off in school. So just before I... About six months prior to graduation, I was offered a position by Hormel Foods Corporation in the supply chain. And then after graduation, I went straight to work for them in the supply chain. So I did several different things at Hormel. I started out working in their flagship plant as a production supervisor.

Ben Jewett:

Oh wow.

Robert Magambo:

So ran a production line. And then after that stint of running a production line, I managed a production department within the plant still. And then the manager, the general manager of that plant, saw some potential in me and helped move me to corporate purchasing at Hormel Foods. But specifically, what I did over there was that the official title of the job was relief buyer. So I would go and relieve the purchasing managers at all the Hormel plants around the country. And then, while the purchasing managers at those plants went on vacation.

Ben Jewett:

Oh, okay.

Robert Magambo:

Yeah.

Ben Jewett:

All right.

Robert Magambo:

So I did that. And then after that stint in purchasing, I was transferred again, still within Hormel, into a subsidiary of Hormel Foods called Hormel Health Labs. And in that role at Hormel Health Labs is where my work in logistics really began.

It started there because I managed a customer service team and demand planning, and really, that's where logistics began. And then from that moved on to sales support, still within Hormel Foods. And then from there, I was transferred into Hormel International. And then full circle to what I had begun.

Yeah. Where I was now doing not only customer service work domestically, but also internationally. So logistics, both domestic and international.

Ben Jewett:

Wow.

Robert Magambo:

Yeah.

Ben Jewett:

So that's an incredible path to actually get to where you wanted to do. When you were in college, do you recall what you thought your path was going to be?

Robert Magambo:

Actually, I did because I remained very focused on this whole working across borders thing. So part of my education involved export administration. So the education that I had prepared me for all the different things that I did in my career to this day.

Ben Jewett:

Wow. Yeah. That's incredible. That's incredible. What kind of advice would you give to maybe somebody that's like they have a dream, they want to do something, and what kind of advice would you give to that to an individual? Let's say, like a younger Robert, what would you tell him?

Robert Magambo:

Find your passion. Find your passion. And I actually even tell this to my own kids. Find something that you enjoy or love doing, because then when you actually end up going to work, hopefully in that field, it won't feel like a job because you love it.

Ben Jewett:

You love it.

Robert Magambo:

Yeah.

Ben Jewett:

That's amazing. I mean, your life story so far growing into it, it's inspiring to me to work a little bit harder and to remain focused on the goals. And so I really appreciate that. You sharing that story with your upbringing with me. Now I need to kind of ask you, so now that we're in logistics, and now you've done logistics for how many years? I don't know.

Robert Magambo:

It will be 27, 28 years.

Ben Jewett:

Wow. So with that experience, what does customer service mean to you?

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. So in the lens of my current role here at Idaho Milk Products, it's obviously making sure that we fill our customers' purchase orders on time, in full, and at the least cost possible. But then, in addition to that, what customer service means to me is actually something which I wrote about three months into my career here at IMP. And I say the purpose of my team and I, our customer service team, is to be a trusted partner to our frontline sales team and to provide attentive, courteous, effective sales support to meet the targets of Idaho Milk Products order to cash process and all who purchase goods from the company. We also ensure that every customer interaction with Idaho Milk Products throughout the purchase order life cycle is seamless and leaves the customer with the impression that we are the most reliable brand to do business with.

Ben Jewett:

Wow.

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. So that's what we do. And that's what customer service means to me.

Ben Jewett:

Okay. I know that they created the position that you're in to bring you on so they could focus on this a little more. What has that been kind of, starting a new position, but also learning about the dairy industry? How has that been?

Robert Magambo:

I tell you, I had no clue about what all the different things that come out of milk.

Ben Jewett:

Oh yeah. I'm with you on that one.

Robert Magambo:

That's the thing that blew me away completely. I also didn't realize how big the dairy industry is.

Ben Jewett:

Okay. Really? Even working with Hormel for so long, you didn't really?

Robert Magambo:

No, because my whole career was, or most of my career was, meat. So, coming on dairy. In my mind, dairy was cheese and then milk, butter, that's it. But there's so much more to milk. I had also no clue that Idaho, the state of Idaho, was number three in terms of milk production in the United States.

Ben Jewett:

I know when you think of Idaho, you think of potatoes, right?

Robert Magambo:

Yeah.

Ben Jewett:

No, big dairy state here.

Robert Magambo:

It's a huge dairy state. And then right here in the Jerome County itself, how much so much... Did I hear like 50% of the world's milk comes from this Jerome County?

Ben Jewett:

Yeah. I know that more milk is produced in this one square mile here in Jerome than anywhere. Any other square mile in the world.

Robert Magambo:

It's mind boggling.

Ben Jewett:

Yeah, it is.

What about the dairy ingredient world, I think, surprised you the most?

Robert Magambo:

What surprised me the most was how the MPCs or the process to make MPCs and the science involved in all of that, and the fact that we have some very, very sophisticated equipment at the Idaho milk products facilities to make that MPC and the work, the highly technical work that goes into making the milk powder, the MPCs and the IdaPros that we have, the 1090s. The IdaPlus and those ones. I mean, that blew me away.

Ben Jewett:

Oh yeah. No, I mean I remember I had no idea what a milk protein concentrate was before I got hired. And I remember being told about it, and I was blown away. I never thought about the science behind all of this.

Robert Magambo:

I didn't realize that. And then also how our operations folks every day in order to make the MPCs, all the calculations and sophisticated calculations that they have to do on an ongoing basis throughout the day, just to make sure that you get the 90% or the plus 85%. It's mind boggling.

Ben Jewett:

Yeah. I agree with you 100% on that. And so I kind of want to talk about a little A little bit. We've talked a little bit about this, but the question that I keep wanting to ask is, events that happen worldwide, how does that affect us when it comes to... I mean, recently we had tariffs, we had the Strait of Hormuz issue. So how does that affect Idaho Milk Products?

Robert Magambo:

Many people don't realize this, but we go to many different countries around the world. Direct exports, we go to Israel.

Ben Jewett:

Oh, wow. Really?

Robert Magambo:

Yes, we do. So, how recent events have affected us is the fact that we'll get our product onto a ship. In fact, we're actually dealing with this right now. We'll get our product onto a ship, and then the schedule of the ship changes.

Ben Jewett:

For sure.

Robert Magambo:

Okay. And our ability to be able to respond to the customer and tell them, "Okay, yeah, we know your stuff will get to you by such and such a date." That's out the window now. So we actually now have a tool where we can see on our map where our shipments to that part of the world are, just so that we can be better able to tell our customers in that part of the world when they can expect their stuff to get there. And that's important because they run manufacturing operations over there.

Ben Jewett:

They have to have the ingredient to do anything.

Robert Magambo:

Exactly. So they have to manage their operations based off of when our product will get to them.

Ben Jewett:

Interesting. Okay.

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. So that's one way. The other way is we've noticed where there's a lot more scrutiny on our documents than there probably was in some of the destinations that we go to. The things that we are asked to put on the documents are perhaps not things that were asked for before. Or if say we miss even a period in a description of something, the documents can get rejected.

Ben Jewett:

Really?

Robert Magambo:

Yes.

Ben Jewett:

Why is that?

Robert Magambo:

From my vantage point, geopolitics.

Ben Jewett:

Just politics.

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. From my vantage point. Yeah.

Ben Jewett:

And so when you're shipping to another country, you have to deal with the governments, I'm sure, too, right?

Robert Magambo:

Yes. So I actually religiously listen to the international news because in listening to the international news, I can kind of tell or gauge whether it will be difficult to ship to a certain region of the world because of what's going on politically.

Ben Jewett:

Interesting.

Robert Magambo:

Geopolitically, between the US and over there. Yeah.

Ben Jewett:

And in Israel, what are they... I'm just curious if you know, what are they using our product for? What product are they taking?

Robert Magambo:

So I believe they use our product to make some ready to drink stuff. That's what I understand, but I know they use our MPP and MPC for other things as well too.

Ben Jewett:

Okay. That's cool. I didn't know we went to Israel. I knew we went to Japan, and then we went to all these others.

Robert Magambo:

Brazil is another big one.

Ben Jewett:

Really Brazil. Okay. I'm not going to say who.

Robert Magambo:

We also go to... Just think of all the big markets in Southeast Asia where we go to. And then also Israel, like I mentioned, we also go to Europe too. And then obviously here in the United States, from little old Jerome, Idaho, to everywhere in the United States.

Ben Jewett:

Wow. We're literally helping feed the world. Do you get that sense of accomplishment when it comes to... To me, I know this is going worldwide. What kind of sense of accomplishment do you get from this?

Robert Magambo:

I get a good feeling in knowing that the ingredients that we make go into products that really help people's health and nutrition. Because think of some of the MPCs and stuff which go into like an... I was about to say the name of the product, but - Infant Formula. Yeah. Infant Formula, some of the products that for geriatric folks or the fitness. The fitness industry. Yeah. So it aligns also with my own personal values in terms of what our product makes. And then now with ice cream coming along, and then at some point in times our own MPCs and stuff going into that ice cream and stuff.

Ben Jewett:

Yeah. And I'm very curious about that aspect. I'm actually happy that you transitioned into that, because how is exporting ice cream, per se? Have you seen what the difference is? How contracts are or what's the differences?

Robert Magambo:

The biggest difference will be the fact that we'd have to start getting used to using refrigerated equipment versus the general purpose equipment that we use currently. Okay. Yeah. So that would be the main big difference. And then the fact that the refrigerated equipment is, especially for going outside the United States, that's a little more difficult to find than the general purpose equipment. But we will be ready for that when that comes. When that time comes. I'm excited also about the dry ice cream mix that we'll have. I cannot wait for that day when we'll get dry ice cream mix into the African continent. That's a dream of mine.

Ben Jewett:

Is it really?

Robert Magambo:

But for the folks on our team, I think that product is one that that part of the world is waiting for.

Ben Jewett:

Can I ask just why? Why do you think -

Robert Magambo:

Oh, because the dry ice cream mix, one of the things that is unique about it is the fact that you don't need refrigeration to store the dry ice cream mix. So you can imagine how in places where there's limited electricity and stuff that all of a sudden they can enjoy ice cream as much as I do because they'll be able to have soft serve -

Ben Jewett:

Soft serve right there.

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. Without having to worry that, oh my gosh, I need the refrigeration to store the raw materials for the soft serve. You know what I mean?

Ben Jewett:

Yeah. No, there's so many markets out there that desperately need it. I think about the fat component. It's coming from a clean dry cream basically. It's clean, it's clean label and it's something that a lot of people don't have access to, especially dairy from cows. And so that's really cool. So you moved here, you were in Minnesota for a really long time.

Robert Magambo:

Yes. Hormel.

Ben Jewett:

So what do you think of Twin Falls?

Robert Magambo:

It's not yet home, but it'll become home at some point.

Ben Jewett:

What do you like about it?

Robert Magambo:

I love being close to the Snake River Canyon. I like the fact that Twin Falls is close to so many natural wonders in my eyes. I mean, I had no clue that Idaho had mountains. Oh really? I'm embarrassed to say that. Th's okay. I didn't know. And in Twin Falls, you can be in high desert, then you can just an hour north of us, there's these beautiful stuff around. And I tell folks, if you're a nature buff, this is the place to be. Yeah.

Ben Jewett:

That's awesome. What has been, I don't know, some of the biggest challenges that you've faced in this new role here at Idaho Milk Products since you've been here?

Robert Magambo:

I'd say that the biggest challenge has been the fact that I think as an organization, we still think of ourselves as small. I think we still have that small mentality in us whereas we're a big -

Ben Jewett:

Player.

Robert Magambo:

Yeah, we're a big player. And I think that sometimes has made us be a little bit afraid of thinking outside the box a little bit in my logistical world.

Ben Jewett:

What would you like to see, I don't know, change in that aspect then?

Robert Magambo:

For one, I would love to see us handling our own transportation to customers. And I think we're building the infrastructure and the processes and stuff to help us be able to do that versus rely on other folks to buy from us and then come and pick up their stuff from us while waiting without giving us a certain time or date when they'll come and pick our stuff up. I mean when they'll come and pick up the stuff that they've ordered from us.

Ben Jewett:

We have to wait on them.

Robert Magambo:

We have to wait on them. And sometimes that delays our revenue and stuff like that.

Ben Jewett:

So you'd like to see us do that. How do you think we can change the mindset, our mindset to help us to get to that point? What do you think are some of the steps that we need to take as a company?

Robert Magambo:

Well, I mean we're learning. So here I'm speaking in the customer service lingo, supply chain lingo. We're learning what our logistics profiles are so that we can understand properly what our true logistic capabilities are so that when we go out to our customers and say that we can deliver to you by such and such a day, we truly can tell them that we can do that because we know what our lead times are. We know what our manufacturing times are. We know what our transportation lead times are and we know the entire process so that we can truly tell somebody we will get your stuff there by such and such a day. If you place your order on such and such a day, we will get it there by such and such a day.

Ben Jewett:

Have a lot more control over that.

Robert Magambo:

Yeah.

Ben Jewett:

Now I'm going to tell listeners and the viewers here, Robert has assembled an amazing team since being here at Idaho Milk Products. What does it take in your opinion to be a good leader?

Robert Magambo:

I believe someone who is humble, hungry, smart is what a good leader is. I see that in our leadership team. I certainly see that in our CEO, but that's what I believe a strong leader is. They're humble, they're hungry, they're smart.

Ben Jewett:

Yeah. Okay. Yeah, because I mean, I'll just be straight. It was kind of a little bit of a mess over there before you got there. So we're all very grateful for Robert and for the work that he's put in over there. And we see it in your team. I just want you to know that. You guys seem like you work really well together.

Robert Magambo:

For me, it's a privilege. It's an honor to work with all the folks on the customer service team. Every day I come into work, I'm inspired by them and what they have been capable of doing and what they continue to do. And when I joined the team, what I came to do was to help enhance or build upon an already good thing. So I'm humbled by them.

Ben Jewett:

No, I think you've done a really, really good job with that.

Robert Magambo:

Thank you.

Ben Jewett:

And just to kind of wrap up a little bit, I kind of wanted to ask another question about your family. So how many kids do you have?

Robert Magambo:

I have three.

Ben Jewett:

Three kids?

Robert Magambo:

Yeah. Two sons and a daughter.

Ben Jewett:

Okay.

Robert Magambo:

Oh, and a daughter-in-law too.

Ben Jewett:

So four kids.

Robert Magambo:

A daughter-in-law. Yes. Yeah.

Ben Jewett:

What advice based off of your life experience do you want to resonate with them with your children? If you could give them any sense of advice about life and working, what kind of advice do you hope that, or I don't know, not advice, but lessons that they hope that they take from you?

Robert Magambo:

What I said before is as far as being humble. Actually, I have this in my office. Love kindness, do justice and be humble.

Ben Jewett:

Okay. Well, Robert, I just want to say thank you for coming on this podcast and talking with us. I learned a lot from you today.

Robert Magambo:

I appreciate it. Thank you for inviting me. I was actually very surprised you guys even though of calling me, but it's been an honor and a privilege to be on this podcast and thank you for the great work that you guys do.

Ben Jewett:

Yeah. You're welcome.

Robert Magambo:

Earlier on, I was saying how amazed that I am about all the different things that you guys do. So thank you for having me.

Ben Jewett:

You're welcome. You're welcome. And that's it for today. Thank you guys for tuning in to the Milktheory Podcast. If you guys like what you hear, like what you see, please subscribe or follow us wherever you get your podcasts. And yeah, we'll see you next time. Thank you.

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