Starting this month, five produce exporters from Latin America, which together handle 9,000 containers a year, begin using the Export Management System created especially for produce. Cargo Produce is a technology startup based in Austin, TX seeking to digitize the first mile of produce--the one that starts at the origin and goes until the container reaches the destination port.
Cargo Produce has developed a web platform where all those involved in the supply chain can be connected in an orderly manner and with all documentation within a single tool. This year, the company will promote the launch and commercial expansion to the export markets of LATAM and the U.S.
"Communication of everything happening from the moment the container leaves the plant to when it reaches the destination port relies on emails, Excel spreadsheets and WhatsApp," said Joaquín Rodriguez Montero, CRO and co-founder of Cargo Produce. "We are talking about tracking and controlling millions of dollars in inventory using basic tools to handle the challenges facing the industry."
Cargo Produce is promoting the launch of its platform and commercial expansion to the export markets of LATAM and the U.S.
“Our technology allows us to collect and compare data that influences the container journey, such as port congestion, weather, etc., and thus obtain an updated ETA in real time. If the status changes, for example, due to the loss of connection in a transshipment port, we will know immediately and the client will too. Most importantly, our level of granularity of information reaches down to our customers' SKUs. It is useless to just know that a container will arrive a week later than planned. Our clients need to know in a click that this container has boxes packed for client X of a certain caliber and for a specific promotion,” said Rodriguez Montero.
The carbon footprint has become a key issue in international trade which is why Cargo Produce offers its clients the automatic calculation of it through the platform, together with the possibility of neutralizing it by retiring Carbon Credits from organizations such as Terra, Gold Standard, on their behalf in just one click.
Cargo Produce says when selecting software, it understands coexisting with the current systems of companies is challenging. Rodriguez Montero says its platform “coexists with the legacy systems of our clients. In 11 days it is ready to start operating without friction with the current IT structure they possess”.
“Comparing data from different exporters and importers of fruits and vegetables, we notice the effort required for the first mile represents 70 percent of the entire international supply chain. Any efficiency achieved here will have a positive impact on the sale of fruit in world markets (last mile),” says Rodriguez Montero.
For more information:
hola@cargoproduce.com
www.cargoproduce.com