At a Glance
- BK Import & Export has generated $600 million exporting coffee, sesame, and pulses globally.
- Phibela Industrial Complex boosts Ethiopia’s food security, producing 1.4 million liters daily.
- Kindie’s real estate and hotel projects modernize tourism and transform Addis Ababa’s skyline.
Ethiopian businessman and agro-industrialist, Belayneh Kindie has emerged as one of East Africa’s most influential business figures, building a vast conglomerate that stretches across agriculture, industrial manufacturing, real estate, hospitality, and philanthropy.
From his flagship enterprise, BK Import & Export, which has generated more than $600 million in revenue since 2005, to pioneering industrial projects like the Phibela Industrial Complex,
Kindie has played a transformative role in Ethiopia’s journey toward self-sufficiency, export diversification, and urban modernization.
His companies operate in a vertically integrated model—partnering with farmers, employing thousands, and supplying markets across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East with premium commodities like Arabica coffee, sesame, and edible oil.
Kindie’s strategic bets on infrastructure, sustainable farming, and green mobility position him as not only a business leader but also a nation builder.
Shore Africa profiles 7 companies that reflect the reach and ambition of Belayneh Kindie’s business empire, based on company filings, government records, and on-the-ground reporting.
Belayneh Kindie Group (BKG), one of the fastest-growing and most successful private business organizations in Ethiopia, with a footprint that spans agriculture, industry, hospitality, real estate, logistics, and philanthropy. BKG has established over 15 dynamic companies that play a pivotal role in Ethiopia’s economic transformation and global market integration. The group’s flagship, BK Import & Export, is a dominant force in Ethiopia’s agro-export industry, generating over $600 million in revenue since 2005. It exports premium Arabica coffee, sesame seeds, and pulses to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, in collaboration with thousands of smallholder farmers.
2. BK Hotels and Tourism
Kindie’s hospitality investments include the iconic Ethiopia Hotel, undergoing redevelopment into a five-star mixed-use complex in Addis Ababa. His portfolio also includes Adama Ras Hotel and the Bahirdar Hilton Resort, a luxury waterfront development along the Blue Nile. Together, these assets redefine Ethiopia’s premium tourism and conference offerings.
3. BK Group’s Agricultural Network
Kindie controls over 19,000 hectares of farmland across Ethiopia through farms such as BK Yirt Valley Farm, BK Jawi Farm, and PhiBela Guba Farm. These farms produce high-demand crops like coffee, sunflower, soybean, and sesame for both local and international markets—enhancing food security, employment, and sustainable agriculture.
4. Belayneh Kindie Metal Engineering Complex
Launched in 2018, this industrial hub in Gelan assembles electric buses, IVECO trucks, and Golden buses, aiding Ethiopia’s green transport agenda. It also operates a PP bag factory and concrete pole production plants in Bahir Dar and Gondar, supporting infrastructure and logistics needs nationwide.
Located in Bure, this agro-processing megaproject produces 1.4 million liters of edible oil daily, contributing to import substitution and food security. With eight integrated factories, the complex is one of the largest of its kind in East Africa and a symbol of Ethiopia’s industrial rise under Kindie’s leadership.
6. Real Estate: Piassa Plaza
Piassa Plaza, a 23-story twin-tower development in central Addis Ababa, is Kindie’s landmark foray into real estate. With a projected investment of ETB 5.5 billion, the mixed-use project will include upscale residential, office, and retail spaces—modernizing one of the city’s most iconic districts.
7. BKG Foundation
Spearheaded by Kindie’s wife, Adanech Kefale, the BKG Foundation has invested over ETB 450 million in community projects—ranging from feeding centers and public housing to education, health care, and regional rehabilitation. The foundation underscores Kindie’s belief in shared prosperity and inclusive development.
