Nigerian startup Yesharvest has launched a zero-inventory e-commerce platform for fresh farm produce that allows users to purchase from farmers.
Founder Nwosu Friday started testing the Yesharvest concept in August of last year, and has since tested several business models before last month adopting a standardised per-kilogramme pricing model.
The platform aggregates demand directly from consumers and supplies directly from farmers each week.
“This enables us to eliminate the series of middlemen that characterise typical distribution channels for farm produce in Nigeria,” Friday said. “By collapsing the distribution channels, we are able to source produce from farmers at above market rates and distribute to consumers at below market rates.”
All logistics are handled by the self-funded Yesharvest, which has launched by selling fruits, vegetables, beef and snails, but will soon be adding more produce based on customer requests.
Friday said the major difficulty at launch was the logistics of deliveries, which he had expected.
“Everything is sorted out through partnerships and the development of proprietary logistics handling software. We are currently ready to scale,” he said.
