What is a successful enterprise in the agricultural, livestock and agro-industrial sectors

Business success is difficult to define, even more so in agriculture where entrepreneurship research is still being consolidated. This study answers: what criteria define business success in the agricultural, livestock and agro-industrial sectors? Twenty-seven experts with three different profiles (academic-researcher, entrepreneur, and supplier or customer) were consulted. A total of 47 criteria were identified and their relationship with the type of expert and the sector was analysed using multivariate classification techniques. Six essential criteria were identified on which there is consensus among experts. It is concluded that a successful enterprise in the agricultural, livestock and agro-industrial sectors is one that: expands its opportunities through the training of its human resources and the incorporation of technology; expands by increasing the scale of its original operations and by integrating other links in the value chain; and manages to differentiate itself from its competitors due to the material quality of its products.