Netafim
Israeli precision irrigation company (HQ Tel Aviv; 80% owned by Orbia (Mexico) since 2017; founded 1965 on Kibbutz Hatzerim in the Negev desert); invented commercial drip irrigation technology and remains the world's largest drip irrigation company by revenue (~$1B). Netafim's founding story is one of the most important agricultural innovation stories of the 20th century: in 1959, Israeli engineer Simcha Blass observed a large tree growing healthier than neighboring trees in an arid area — and discovered a slow leak in an underground pipe was the cause. Working with Kibbutz Hatzerim, Blass and colleagues developed the first practical drip emitter and founded Netafim in 1965. Drip irrigation — delivering water directly to plant roots at controlled rates — has transformed agriculture in water-scarce regions: Netafim systems are now used on 10+ million hectares across 112 countries, saving an estimated 50% of water vs flood irrigation while increasing yields 20-50%. The same Kibbutz cooperative in the Negev desert that invented drip irrigation now sources its raw material HDPE resin from Dow's Texas crackers and converts it into the precision tubing that feeds the world's most efficient farms.