Deep Expertise. Leading Insights. Winning Strategies.
Your Partner to Navigate the Future of Food & Agribusiness
Global Experts in Food & Agribusiness Strategy Consulting
Shelman Group is a boutique strategy consulting firm dedicated to helping clients craft and execute winning strategies in the complex Food & Agribusiness sector.
Led by industry thought leader Mary Shelman, former Director of Harvard Business School's renowned Agribusiness Program, and AJ Shelman, strategy expert and former Bain & Co. consultant, we combine deep strategic expertise with unmatched insights into the global Food & Ag value chain. With experience across more than 100 organizations - ranging from Fortune 500 firms to leading private companies, startups, investors, governments, and industry groups - we help clients make bold decisions that create lasting results.
Strategy Consulting
We leverage our deep expertise and proprietary insights to solve critical strategic challenges for our clients.
Our consulting services include strategy creation & facilitation, scenario planning, and investor diligence, provided through projects and collaborative workshops.
Strategic Insights
Our insights cut through the noise to identify the trends, emerging scenarios, and transformative technologies that will genuinely impact the future of Food & Agribusiness. Clients rely on us to separate hype from reality, allowing them to focus clearly on the strategic moves that matter most.
We deliver these insights through tailored briefings, speaking engagements, and reports in addition to our consulting work.
Our Team
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Mary Shelman brings deep strategic insight and unmatched global expertise to her work at the forefront of the food and agriculture industry. As the founder of Shelman Group, she advises companies, governments, and investors across the Food & Ag value chain—translating complex global trends into clear, actionable strategies for long-term growth and competitiveness.Mary has worked across six continents with organizations ranging from innovative startups to Fortune 500 companies and national governments. She is widely recognized for her ability to synthesize technical, market, and policy forces into integrated strategic guidance.
Mary previously served as Director of Harvard Business School’s Agribusiness Program, where she developed more than 80 case studies and led the School’s flagship executive seminar for senior industry leaders. Earlier in her career, she chaired the board and led strategy at RiceTec, guiding the company from early-stage development to its position as the leading U.S. rice seed company.
An active contributor to the global agribusiness community, Mary is a frequent keynote speaker, panel moderator, and industry expert at international conferences. In addition to her consulting work, she serves on several boards in the AgTech and food sectors and remains engaged in academia through visiting faculty appointments and executive education roles.
Her industry leadership is grounded in lifelong experience—she grew up in Kentucky, where her father was a farmer and farm equipment dealer, and she continues to own a 475-acre grain farm in the state. She divides her time between Boston, Massachusetts; Sugar Hill, New Hampshire; and her farm in Kentucky.
Mary holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kentucky and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
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AJ Shelman is a strategist and industry analyst with expertise in the Food & Ag sector, combining extensive work as a trusted consultant to leading companies with practical executive leadership experience. As Managing Partner of Shelman Group, he advises organizations across the value chain, helping them successfully navigate complex strategic challenges and industry shifts.Previously, AJ was a top-performing consultant with the globally renowned management consulting firm Bain & Company, where his work focused on food, retail, and technology clients. While at Bain, he worked on transformational, C-Level projects spanning corporate strategy, go-to-market, and cost optimization. His clients included well-known international restaurant brands, large retailers, and leading technology companies.
He has also served in multiple executive roles within early-stage technology ventures, where he led strategy, operations, and product development. He continues to actively advise early-stage leadership teams navigating high-stakes strategic challenges.
AJ’s work is rooted in lifelong ties to Food & Ag, having spent every summer on his family's farm in Kentucky and joining his mother, Mary, on global industry projects from an early age. He now lives in Franklin, Tennessee.
AJ holds a B.S. in Economics and Organizational Theory from Vanderbilt University, where he was a Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholar, and graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Who we work with
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Public companies
Private Companies
Investors & Financial Institutions
Startups
Governments
Industry & Trade Organizations
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Ag Inputs: 15+
Ag Tech: 10+
Farming: 5+
Traders & Processors: 10+
Protein: 10+
Produce: 10+
Branded Food & Beverage: 10+
Restaurant & Retail: 10+
Investors & Financial Institutions: 5+
Governments: 5+
Others: 15+
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North America: 3 countries
South America: 3 countries
Europe: 13 countries
Asia: 4 countries
Africa: 5 countries
Australia & Oceania: 2 countries
What Makes Us Different
Deep Expertise in Strategy for Food & Ag
We know the right way to build strategy – we have a proven process that delivers results
Unparalleled industry knowledge – we deeply understand the rules of Food & Agribusiness and what makes the sector unique
Comprehensive value chain experience – having worked with over 100 organizations across every stage of the value chain, we offer a holistic "farm-to-fork" perspective
Collaborative partnership – we co-create strategy as a thought partner, not just an analyst or report writer
Unique Insights Across the Value Chain
Broad expertise, actionable insights – our understanding of the global Food & Ag value chain unlocks actionable learnings for clients, drawing from success stories and lessons that span the entire industry and world
Futureproof strategies – we identify trends that actually matter by tempering the latest hype with a long-term view of the industry and its inherent structure to anticipate industry shifts and inform winning strategies that stand the test of time
We Are Food & Ag People
Rooted in the industry – We have spent our lives, as have generations of our family before us, deeply embedded in Food & Ag, and we're still proud owners of a farm in Kentucky
Authentically excellent – We uniquely combine the special culture of Food & Ag with elite academic and corporate strategy expertise, offering clients a relatable and highly accomplished strategic partner
We get family business – As a family-owned and operated firm ourselves, we understand the nuances of the family-run Food & Ag enterprises that are so important to our industry