How Fresh From Farm is harvesting hope by reducing waste in fruit supply chain

Food waste is a major problem in our country. India ranked 111 out of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index in 2023. What is even more worrying is that our country wastes a significant portion of its farm produce, with 30-40% of fruits and vegetables being wasted every year.

The fruit vendor supply chains in India are fragmented and inefficient due to numerous intermediaries, lack of refrigerated transport, lack of high-quality cold storage facilities, and limited processing capabilities, leading to high post-harvest losses. 

The quality and safety of fruits are also affected due to improper handling and storage, while seasonal variations and uneven distribution cause demand-supply mismatches. 

To tackle these challenges, Rohit Nagdewani started Fresh From Farm in 2021. Based out of Delhi-NCR, it is a B2B2C platform that takes charge of end-to-end solutions for fruit retailers. It oversees procurement, handling, sorting, and distribution to enable them to focus solely on driving sales.

“Typically, for any modern trade store in a society, all products are delivered by distributors. However, with fruits, the case is different; someone still needs to go to the Mandis to purchase them. I saw an opportunity to address the need for easier access to fresh fruits,” says Nagdewani. 

From journalist to agripreneur

After completing his education in 2010, Nagdewani began his professional journey as a journalist covering the automotive industry. Despite financial constraints, he gained valuable industry insights and a strong network within the automotive sector, which later influenced his entrepreneurial ventures.

In 2013-14, he leveraged his experience and connections to launch his first entrepreneurial venture, an automotive accessories vertical ecommerce company called 299kmph.in. The company became a top seller on platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and ShopClues, before he wound up operations.

In 2017, intrigued by the burgeoning field of hydroponics—growing food without soil or sunlight—Nagdewani decided to venture into agriculture and founded 'Farming V2,' a hydroponic farm to grow exotic herbs and vegetables. 

“During COVID, while I was delivering greens to society stores in Gurugram, people reached out to me and said that they want us to procure fruits for them,” he says.

This led to the rebranding of Farming V2 to Fresh From Farm in 2021 to consolidate demand for fresh fruits.

Streamlined solution for vendors

Fresh From Farm, which has a team of 65 members, sources fruits directly from farms, processes them at a central location in Delhi-NCR, and delivers sorted and graded fruits to fruit vendors. 

The vendors can place orders through the app the previous night and they will receive the orders the next morning between 7:30-8:00 am.

“We use cold storage facilities for both transport and storage. Our model is nearly just-in-time, fruit arrives at our facility around 4 or 5 pm and is usually dispatched within 12 hours. By keeping inventory minimal, we ensure that the fruit remains as fresh as possible when delivered,” explains Nagdewani.

Bypassing the traditional supply chain hassles, the startup aims to provide a streamlined solution for vendors, allowing them to focus on selling fresh produce.

“Consolidating purchases from a single supplier enhances accountability and convenience. This eliminates the need for vendors to navigate the early morning rush at wholesale markets, saving them significant time, energy, and costs,” he says.

Bootstrapped with about Rs 50 lakh, the company is catering to about 400-500 vendors daily in Delhi NCR at present.

“We sell fruit to everyone except pushcart sellers due to the challenges of accountability and logistics with their lack of a permanent location. Our customers include large and small format stores, as well as hawkers with semi-permanent locations,” adds Nagdewani.

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Data-driven demand prediction

According to the founder, Fresh From Farm’s proprietary tech interface enhances supply chain efficiency by predicting and balancing demand and supply, minimising wastage.

The startup uses data-driven demand prediction to forecast precise fruit requirements, consolidates demand to streamline logistics, and handles sourcing, grading, and sorting.

It sources fruit from 600 Indian farmers across India and processes it at a state-of-the-art 15,000-square-foot facility in Delhi.

“Navigating the fresh fruit industry comes with distinct challenges, especially given the perishable nature of products. We tackle these complexities by prioritising insights into supply chain intricacies and leveraging technology-driven solutions to manage our just-in-time inventory system effectively,” he says.

The startup operates on a commission-based model that involves buying from farmers and selling to vendors with a 20% margin.

Fresh From Farm has registered a 95% repeat order rate in the last 12 months. “There are vendors who have been consistently ordering about Rs 3 lakh worth of produce from us every month for the past 12 months,” Nagdewani explains.

Highlighting the challenges faced by the fresh fruit supply chain in demand-prediction and inventory management, which leads to massive wastage, Vikram Ramasubramanian, Partner at Inflection Point Ventures, says: “Businesses often face these challenges, especially in the fresh produce space. F3 transforms this process with a tech-enabled platform, offering transparency and efficiency. By empowering retailers to sell quality produce at fair prices and reducing wastage, F3 promotes sustainability and a healthier, more equitable future.”

The market and way ahead

The Fresh Fruits market in India is expected to grow by 7.58% between 2024-2029, reaching a market volume of $167.00 billion by 2029, according to Statista.

“Delhi NCR has around 8,000 fruit vendors, and we’ve reached less than 5%. Similar challenges exist in other major cities, with limited mandis and APMCs on the city outskirts, requiring extensive travel for vendors. This indicates that our solutions can effectively replicate a substantial total addressable market,” says Nagdewani.

Recently, Fresh From Farm raised $2 million in a pre-Series A round from Inflection Point Ventures and Ashish Kacholia, a seasoned investor in public markets, for team expansion, tech enhancement, and product line introduction.

The startup competes with players such as Noida-based Superplum and Mumbai-based Anvit Agro.

According to Nagdewani, what makes it stand out from other players is its proprietary technology that predicts demand and maintains supply equilibrium, minimising wastage by ensuring retailers receive precise quantities. 

“We also convert fruit vendors into mini-franchisees, enabling them to focus solely on sales,” he adds. 

The startup is looking to expand to more cities such as Chandigarh Tri-City, Agra, Lucknow, and Jaipur by the end of next year, and deepen its presence in Delhi NCR. 

The company aims to reach Rs 100 crore annual recurring revenue (ARR) by the end of this year, from the current Rs 60 crore ARR.