How Otipy is bridging the gap between farmers and consumers?

One of India’s prominent agritech startups, Otipy is India’s first community group buying platform for fresh produce and daily essentials. Operated by Crofam, the company started in 2016 with the aim of delivering fruits and vegetables (F & V) to consumers upon procurement from farmers directly, without the involvement of any middlemen. With the state-of-the-art technology used for procurement, delivery, and distribution, the company has successfully established a solid link between farmers and consumers.?

The process commences by procuring fruits and vegetables directly from farmers and transporting them to the company warehouse. After that, upon proper quality check and packaging, the orders are picked up and delivered to the local resellers for the doorstep delivery of fresh products to consumers. Boasting a highly efficient supply chain model, the company has reduced the number of hours and intermediaries to provide consumers with better quality produce, thereby winning their trust. On the other hand, Otipy also ensures that farmers get the correct value for their harvest without delay. The company also guides the farmers about which crops to grow for maximum income. As for the resellers, which help in the last-mile logistics, this is a unique opportunity to generate income without significant investments or risks.

While the conventional supply of F & V takes a few days to reach consumers from the farms, thereby deteriorating its nutritional value, the Otipy model involves minimal logistics costs around the industry and connects the consumers to farmers smoothly through local community leaders, who work as delivery partners/ resellers. Empowered with tools to design, deliver and maintain an efficient delivery system, the company ensures balanced growth for every person involved in the process.

In addition to bridging the gap between farmers and consumers, the company is also able to decrease substantial food wastage in the supply chain by using advanced technology for procurement, distribution, and delivery. Usually, vegetables and fruits tend to have a shelf life of several days, resulting in a large amount of wastage due to gaps in the supply chain management. But, with technology-powered warehouses that perform rapid quality checks and packaging, the company can dispatch the goods at a faster rate, reducing the wastage ratio. By accurately forecasting the demand with the help of business intelligence, the company also ensures a proper demand-supply balance without enduring any cost burden.

By sourcing directly from farmers, the company helps them earn higher prices in comparison with traditional channels, along with providing proper guidance on what to grow according to market demand, the prevailing crop rates, as well as relevant best agricultural practices. Also, it helps the farmers overcome the hassle of arranging logistics, finding buyers, and negotiating prices. As for its end consumers, Otipy provides convenient access to healthy fruits and vegetables without having to leave their couches. Hence, Otipy is in for a long run as it has created a positive impact beyond just delivering fresh produce and bridged the gap between the two ends of the chain, i.e., farmers and consumers, quite effectively.