About Us - Agrární půdní fond s.r.o.

Who we are

APF VENTURE CAPITAL CR s.r.o. (formerly Agrární půdní fond s.r.o.) was established in May 2020 as a trader of agricultural land in the Czech Republic. It is currently part of the APF GROUP, which primarily focuses on long-term investments in agricultural land.

APF is a real estate broker under the relevant Real Estate Brokerage Act with professional liability insurance of CZK 20 million.

APF has been entered in the list of persons carrying out asset management comparable to asset management within the meaning of Section 15(1) of the Act on Investment Companies and Investment Funds maintained by the ČNB in accordance with Section 596(e) of the Alternative Venture Capital Fund Act (ZISIF). An alternative fund pursuant to Section 15 of the ZISIF does not serve to collect assets from the public and invest them jointly. This fund is intended for qualified investors.

Where we came from?

In 2015, we started off as real estate brokers specialising in agricultural land working under the Czech Republic’s largest real estate company. Through APF’s current owner, we made our first investment into agricultural land in 2016. This investment was CZK 550,000 with a gross return on investment of 40%. Up to the establishment of APF, the owner traded only as a natural person. After the first transaction, the owner gradually gained personal capital equal to roughly CZK 11 million, which was then invested into APF.

Our Skills and Why Clients Seek Us Out?

Thanks to our experience, knowledge and expertise, we can select agricultural land suitable for potential investment, determine its current market price, future returns and, by extension, its future market value and, ultimately, sell the land with these facts in mind. The average gross return is around 20% per annum.

We focus on secured investments in agricultural land that is under your control at all times.

And thanks to our skill in the field affirmed by many previous transactions, we can afford to guarantee future returns through a preliminary contract of sale.

Number of completed deals in 2023 443

Number of completed deals in 2022 370

The total number of completed trades 1811

Value of traded agricultural land 2023 CZK 360,375,711

Total value of agricultural land traded CZK 1,165,168,228

Total value of client portfolios CZK 612,040,981

Our Past Achievements:

The company’s current Portfolio Manager won the award for the best real estate broker in the Czech Republic at the largest real estate company on the domestic market for both the years 2019 and 2020. So far, he has conducted 1,500 client transactions with a total value of over CZK 900 million.

We gained most of our private clients through working with a real estate company, who started working with us based on client recommendations. Our Portfolio Manager has received upward of 900 recommendations. Our “numerous” previous transactions are attested by the following figures:

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How we operate?

We work primarily with real demand in individual locations at predetermined land parameters (type of land, acreage, climate zone, location, placement within the cadastral area, agricultural lease, time before sale).

We focus on the main areas of agricultural production. We choose plots of land which, based on our experience, knowledge and completed transactions, are undervalued in terms of their current market price or their parameters. We carefully assess the agricultural lease conditions. We focus on stable portfolio returns (starting at 10% per annum) with an emphasis on market rent.

We then put the selected plots back on the market through our partnered real estate agency. We do not take into account any potential increase in agricultural land prices, nor do we try to predict it. We respond to developments in market demand or specific requirements of interested parties and, of course, account for changes in the Czech Republic’s macroeconomic and legislative conditions.

Last but not least, we have knowledge of agricultural issues acquired through university education.

Thanks to our close cooperation with a real estate agency, we have access to an extensive database of those interested in agricultural land, created by our own active trading. We employ all of the available marketing means of the partnered real estate agency to effectively offer our land.

What we strive for?

To give small and medium-sized non-agricultural investors and savers the opportunity to invest in agricultural land as a finite factor of production which has dramatically increased in importance over the last few years. With your long-term investment, you will support an acceptable distribution of land ownership in the Czech Republic and acquire a conservative alternative to investing in banking products which also has a more interesting appreciation.

You practically do not have to worry about the investment, as we manage the land automatically within the portfolio. For most of our products, you remain as the owner for the entirety of the duration of your investment to ensure that you have your investment under control.

What are our values?

Transparency

APF GROUP makes no secret of anything. We always inform our clients about what land they are buying and under what conditions. We provide adequate collateral for the commitments made. We can back up the promised returns with real data. It is not about investing "blindly" in real estate or a fund that the client knows nothing about. We provide regular information on financial results and other company facts.

Responsibility

At APF GROUP we remember our roots, our ancestors and where we came from. We didn't create the soil, we took it from the last generation and we will pass it on to the next. That is why it is important to think about the state we leave it in and make sure it can support our descendants.

Experience

APF GROUP has experienced professionals who understand the land, know what land to choose and where to choose it so that it is not only profitable but also valuable for future use. We stick to what works and is proven.

Love for the land

APF GROUP cares about the Czech soil and its condition and wants to advocate its acceptable use and actively help in the development of Czech agriculture. We invest in projects such as Sobůlský dvůr or the APF Utility Garden in Hněvotín. At the same time, the people of APF Group have rural roots and a relationship with the fertile landscape of Haná, where they grew up.

Realism

We do not make unrealistic promises. We stick to reality, reality and what happens in it and what follows from it. We make decisions based on knowledge, experience and proven practices backed by results. We provide investments that are grounded in reality - literally, ground that can be touched.

And we're not forgetting our roots…