In 2021, only 5% of the global fruit and vegetable trade was made digitally, a very low percentage when compared to other sectors. Food and agriculture still have the lowest penetration of digitization relative to all other sectors of the world economy. That is precisely what the AgrigateOne digital platform, a startup registered in the United Kingdom by entrepreneurs with roots and training in the production of fruits and vegetables, is looking to change. Nearly 80% of its staff come from farming families or farming environments.
AgrigateOne is an independent software company that, since its establishment in 2019, has built a B2B platform to create greater transparency between producers and buyers using real-time information.
Eva Romero, International Business Development Manager of AgrigateOne, together with Paco Borrás, at the Citrus Forum.
The platform is in the cloud, meaning users receive immediate alerts about shipping delays, cold chain irregularities, and incomplete orders, allowing them to step in before it affects their business.
Accurate and reliable data are the starting points for sustainability. If sustainability cannot be measured, how can it be improved?
It offers a Business Intelligence solution for the European market, allowing for the preparation, mining, management, and visualization of data that facilitates decision-making and extraction of all possible knowledge from its organization. It's the only way to remain competitive in the market.
“We collect data at every point in the fresh produce supply chain to provide accurate information at every step. The data is collected by connecting with the different software or ERP with which the company works from the reception of the fruit, production, and logistics, which are aggregated into useful data that are transmitted to the user through our online platform," stated Eva Romero, International Business Development Manager of AgrigateOne.
Integration is critical to overcoming challenges
AgrigateOne already has customers, producers, and buyers in more than 110 countries. South African citrus fruits are one of the main products with which they have worked, although they also have experience in avocado, stone fruits, table grapes, and subtropical products, among other products.
"We mainly target exporting and importing companies in the fruit and vegetable sector that use maritime transport. South Africa, a major producer-exporter of citrus globally, is one of the first countries where we started working. We have gone from digitizing the production and sale process of 600,000 pallets in 2019 to 1,500,000 so far this year. Our state of expansion is now focused on Spain, South America, North Africa, and Europe, where we already work with different importers in addition to having projects with prominent ports such as Rotterdam," stated Wian Potgieter, co-founder, and director of AgrigateOne.
Wian Potgieter, co-founder, and director of AgrigateOne:
“As a producer, you have complete visibility and greater control over products as they move. Digitization saves time, allowing producers to focus on their products. On the other hand, as a buyer, you have access to the products of a network of accredited and trusted producers. Buyers will be able to see and track orders as they move from origin to destination,” stated Wian Potgieter.
According to Eva Romero: "Spain is a huge player in the production of citrus, as well as many other products, so it is a priority for us to expand in this market. We started working with citrus fruits and they drove the expansion of this platform, so it would be interesting to create a complete network between the northern and southern hemispheres."
"We can begin to predict, for example, if the citrus campaigns of both hemispheres could overlap, something that happened at the end of 2021 and that has had a strong effect on businesses. The data could indicate when these overlaps would take place and which other markets the fruit could target. This platform doesn't work based on rumors but on real data and that helps producers in their day-to-day decision-making,” stated Wian Potgieter.
For more information:
Eva Romero
AgrigateOne
T: +722525750
eva@agrigateone.com
www.agrigateone.com