IAN Invests INR 3.5 Cr in Farm-to-Fork Agritech Startup Farmers Fresh Zone With the latest funding, the agri-tech startup's total fundraise stands over INR 6.5 crore till date
By Shipra Singh
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Kerala-based Farmers Fresh Zone, a multi-channel marketplace that enables direct delivery of fruits and vegetables from farmers to consumers, has raised INR 3.5 crore from Indian Angels Network (IAN).
The Kochi-headquartered startup had last raised undisclosed seed capital from IAN in October 2018. With the latest funding, the agri-tech startup's total fundraise stands over INR 6.5 crore till date.
Farmers Fresh Zone was founded by software engineer turned entrepreneur Pradeep PS in 2015. Hailing from an agricultural family, Pradeep realized the need for a marketplace for farmers to sell their agriculture produce directly to the consumers, which led to the inception of Farmers Fresh Zone.
The company aims to unlock access to safe-to-eat, pesticide-free fruits and vegetables directly sourced from farmers. Through its omni-channel presence, the startup has connected over 1,500 farmers to urban consumers till date.
"The Indian fruits and vegetable sector is valued at USD 100 billion, of which a staggering 96 per cent is fragmented and disorganized. In 2014, the organic food market was valued at USD 0.36 billion and the market has been growing at a CAGR of 25 per cent. The pesticide-free i.e. scientifically grown safe-to-eat fruits and vegetable market is much larger than the organic segment. That's exactly where Farmers Fresh Zone is playing its role," said founder and CEO Pradeep.
Farmers Fresh Zone claims to be one of the first Indian agri-tech firms to introduce unit-level traceability for all their products—for consumers to track the origin of a product including details of the farms and farmers. At the farmer's end, the firm provides the right price and right mix of products, improving earnings and reducing wastage.
Additionally, the company conducts market studies regularly and with the help of those it alerts farmers regarding the prices, mechanization, domain knowledge, insurance and other relevant things.
"Our aim is to emerge as the #1 player in the premium fruits and vegetable segment of South India, and we are working hard in building a strong base in the nutrition segment," Pradeep said.
