FruPro has launched of its platform B2B fresh produce marketplace that will connect supply chains end-to-end. The soft launch took place on 28th of February, with the full launch next week (21st March).
The company aims to improve how the fresh produce industry works by bringing much-needed clarity and ease to the industry. It helps supply chain parties to connect, communicate, redistribute, and trade on one platform. The digital fresh produce marketplace, has been built for the industry by the industry and aims to help the industry to buy and sell fruit and veg in confidence. With its built-in centralised communication platform, the platform will allow businesses to promote their online existence, expand their network and enhance their ability to distribute and trade. Each fresh produce business can create their own digital profile and close sales deals 24/7 and get paid or pay within agreed trade terms.
"We have 30 companies vetted and ready to be onboarded gradually. We want to receive feedback from our early users to optimise the platform to meet future users’ needs. On our CRM there are 600 companies, this is growing daily through new companies registering their interest," explains Co-founder and COO Ollie Morley-Fletcher.
FruPro trialled its concept back in lockdown. In one weekend, using a simple TypeForm questionnaire and its network, FruPro was able to connect the industry and 251 pallets, 35,741 packages and 178,705 kgs of fresh produce destined for waste was sold which fed half a
million people. This created £101,000 in revenue for FruPro users.
The marketplace differentiates itself from competitors with its stance towards climate change. In order to lower greenhouse gas emissions caused by the food loss and waste, FruPro partners with food banks, clubs and charities and enables businesses within the industry to donate their surplus to those who need the food most. The platform proved the success of this concept during the Christmas week in 2021. FruPro facilitated the donation of 19 pallets, 37,700 Punnets
of Cat 1 quality Raspberries to FareShare. This successful trial turned the donation feature into a core offering of the platform.
“Having worked with every step of the supply chain, I have lived and
breathed the issues which FruPro will solve. The industry has suffered from low technological adoption and little automation and as a result the industry relies on manual processes and is not efficiently connected," said Will Hill, Co-Founder and CEO.
"This results in a shocking amount of food waste, a third of all fresh produce grown in Europe is wasted while we have 4.7 million people in the UK who are severely food insecure. In the offline world knowing your customers is extremely difficult, and this leads to large amount of debt and fraud within the market. My vision is to enhance every relationship with fresh produce ensuring the best product is reaching the end consumer in its optimum state by providing the digital ecosystem for the next 5 generations of the industry to flourish in. We have handpicked a number of UK companies to launch with, the key for us is to listen to the industry to improve the offering. We will be continuously onboarding companies each week afterwards.”
FruPro will exhibiting at Fruit Logistica in Berlin this year having been chosen as one of the start-up businesses to be showcased at the event.
"We are very proud to be selected as one of 20 Start-ups to present in Berlin. This is a validation of our product which is built for the industry by the industry, from the world’s largest fruit and veg event. This has confirmed we are moving in the right direction and is driving us to build an even better product," said Will.
"Berlin will be a brilliant opportunity to display our game changing product to a wider audience. It will provide lots of exciting partnerships to enhance our offering and will allow us to strengthen our position within the global market," said Ollie.
For more information:
Ollie Morley-Fletcher
FruPru
ollie@frupro.com