[Funding alert] Kerala-based agritech startup Farmers Fresh Zone raises Rs 3.5 Cr led by IAN Fund

Agritech startup Farmers Fresh Zone has raised Rs 3.5 crore led by IAN Fund. With this round, Farmers Fresh Zone’s overall fundraising has crossed Rs 6.5 crore.

The Kerala-based startup aims to unlock access to safe-to-eat, pesticide-free fruits, and vegetables directly sourced from farmers. The startup has so far connected over 1,500 farmers to urban consumers through its omnichannel presence.

Padmaja Ruparel, Founding Partner, IAN Fund, said,

“Kerala’s startup ecosystem is truly thriving, thanks to the efforts of Kerala Startup Mission in the state. Farmers FZ is an example of how India agriculture is innovating and enabling farmers to sell pesticide-free products to customers, at a fair price.”

ALSO READ

AgriBazaar, Crofarm, Unnati – these agritech startups are empowering Indian farmers in times of coronavirus

Coming from an agricultural family, Pradeep PS, Founder and CEO of Farmers Fresh Zone, realised the need for a marketplace for farmers to sell their agriculture produce directly to the consumers. This prompted a software engineer to turn into an agri entrepreneur to establish Farmers Fresh Zone in 2015.

In a quest to bridge the gap between the consumers and the farmers, the startup has adopted a two-pronged approach. From the consumer’s perspective, it claims to be the one of the first Indian agritech firms to introduce unit-level traceability for all products. This helps consumers to track the origin of a product, including details of farms and farmers. On the other hand, for the farmers, the firm provides the right price and right mix of products, improving earnings and reducing wastage.

The startup is constantly working to provide enhanced user experience, building cutting-edge solutions to improve supply chain efficiency, and collects data to analyse yield prediction and profit calculation.

Pradeep PS, Founder and CEO of Farmers Fresh Zone, said,

“The Indian fruits and vegetable sector is valued at $100 billion, of which a staggering 96 percent is fragmented and disorganised. In 2014, the organic food market was valued at $0.36 billion and the market has been growing at a CAGR of 25 percent. The pesticide-free, 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 a role.”

“Having received the funding from IAN, we are looking to invest in expanding our brand to new markets including Bengaluru. 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 added.