Basket Ecommerce

A eMarketplace that creates a circular economy for fresh produce farmers and traders.

Basket is a agritech/fintech solution that focuses on digitizing and innovating the supply chain system and the logistical system  between small-scale farmers and street vendors in Cape Town and Stellenbosch by improving market access for both supplier and buyer through an innovative stock-purchasing and management app that assist buyers to be able to purchase, manage and insure their stock through an innovative and efficient solution that allows buyers to gain market access to a pool of fresh produce farmers providing various Fast Moving Consumer Goods  and fresh produce.

In South Africa firstly, farmers — especially the small ones — are subject to informal
middlemen in order to bring their produce to market. Second, in this
process, the product sees a significant price increase without any value add
(such as processing, packaging, etc.). Third, without sufficient capital to
buy in bulk and lacking storage space, small shop owners purchase the
produce they will sell practically on a day-to-day basis. As a result, they lose
on average 15 hours per week on trips to the central market while spending
up to 20% of their income on transport. Consequently, it is the shop owner
and the end customer who pay for the overhead generated by inefficiency.

The Basket Ecommerce solution is directly developed for both farmers especially small-scale and informal traders. A virtual buying group for urban small shops, aggregating their demand for fruits and vegetables in order to buy directly at the farm, bring produce to a distribution center in the city, and distribute to the shops based on their orders. By doing this, Basket Ecommerce could save each shop owner up to six minimum salaries per year (approx. $1,700 USD) between transport and produce cost savings, while at the same time giving the farmer direct access to a market in the city. In theory, it was a win-win model for farmers, shop owners, and Basket Ecommerce. 

Basket Ecommerce was established in 2021 directly after the establishment of the startup the Basket team began to conduct on market research and market analysis on the assumptions and realities of the targeted market and the key stakeholders that play a crucial role in the market. Since conducting market Basket conducted market with over 50 farmers and buyers in the Western Cape in South Africa and was able to get the real realities and the challenges that both farmers and buyers were facing in this market in terms of gaining market entry and accessibility. Furthermore, Basket was able to identify that for shop owners  Basket’s value proposition was 100% attractive; it was obvious. On the other hand, there are shop owners who love to negotiate and hussle. They believe no one can negotiate better than they do, and having the piece of mind of having selected and purchased their stock themselves weighs out the cost and effort of travelling to the central market.

Basket Ecommerce is a innovative solution that is currently in the pilot phase and is operating in the cities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch in South Africa with the support of over 50 fresh produce farmers and shop owners that order through a whatsapp chatbot system at the current point because of the accessibility of customers through whatsapp since most South Africa utilize whatsapp for daily communication. The business also has a delivery system that is able to deliver products for those shop owners without logistical means within these two cities from farm to store. 

Basket is a agritech/fintech software app solution that focuses on digitizing and innovating the supply chain system and the logistical system  between small-scale farmers, wholesalers and street vendors in Cape Town and Stellenbosch by improving market access for both supplier and buyer through an innovative stock-purchasing and management app that assist buyers to be able to purchase, manage and insure their stock through an innovative and efficient solution that allows buyers to gain market access to a pool of fresh produce suppliers and wholesalers providing various Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs) and fresh produce.

Basket Ecommerce currently is piloting with over 50 fresh produce farmers and shop owners across the Western Cape in the cities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch serving predominately female shop owners especially with logistical means because many of these shop owners do not own any form of vehicles to conduct collection of their goods after purchasing. Furthermore, Basket Ecommerce aims to serve more than 150 farmers and shop owners in comparison to last year because are about 750 active growers and shop owners who are willing to purchase directly from local farmers with quality produce.

Basket Ecommerce is a agritech startup that connects fresh produce farmers who predominantly harvest fresh produce with female informal traders who predominantly makes a living by selling fresh produce through a eMarketplace that we as the Basket team have developed by providing some of the sustainable development goals such as the Ending Hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agricultural solutions which is what is Basket Ecommerce is currently while also promoting gender equality by empowering women who are informal traders selling fresh produce to earn a living. Because we as the Basket team realized the power of enhancing the use of technology in particular information and communications technology especially with presence of the 4th Industrial Revolution to promote the empowerment of women specifically. Hence Basket Ecommerce focusing on working with small growers specifically female growers living in the rural South Africa who are highly dependent their fresh produce and making a living for their families.

Basket Ecommerce is a agritech startup that connects fresh produce farmers who predominantly harvest fresh produce with female informal traders who predominantly makes a living by selling fresh produce through a eMarketplace that we as the Basket team have developed by providing some of the sustainable development goals such as the Ending Hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agricultural solutions which is what is Basket Ecommerce is currently while also promoting gender equality by empowering women who are informal traders selling fresh produce to earn a living. Because we as the Basket team realized the power of enhancing the use of technology in particular information and communications technology especially with presence of the 4th Industrial Revolution to promote the empowerment of women specifically.

Basket Ecommerce face numerous challenges in terms of launch its full product into the market because there challenges such as the lack of technological understanding since most growers and shop owners are not familiar with technological advancement. It becomes difficult in addressing the market needs fully because a part of the market still lacks the necessary understanding of technology. A other challenge that Basket is technical experts because Basket only has a minimum amount of team members with the necessary technical skills needed to advance the technology of Basket Ecommerce.

Basket Ecommerce is well positioned with a good team members because some team members are still students studying at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. With some members studying programs such Software development, Electrical Engineering and Finance. Some members are already working under prominent companies such as Amazon Web Services in Cape Town which adds value to the development of Basket Ecommerce.

Basket Ecommerce is currently utilizing the services of Amazon Web Services in Cape Town and also work along the Launchlab Stellenbosch a business incubation within Stellenbosch and Stellenbosch Network which provides mentorship and a startup network

Basket Ecommerce is a agritech startup that connects fresh produce farmers who predominantly harvest fresh produce with female informal traders who predominantly makes a living by selling fresh produce through a eMarketplace that we as the Basket team have developed by providing some of the sustainable development goals such as the Ending Hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agricultural solutions which is what is Basket Ecommerce is currently while also promoting gender equality by empowering women who are informal traders selling fresh produce to earn a living. Because we as the Basket team realized the power of enhancing the use of technology in particular information and communications technology especially with presence of the 4th Industrial Revolution to promote the empowerment of women specifically.

Basket Ecommerce is a agritech startup that connects fresh produce farmers who predominantly harvest fresh produce with female informal traders who predominantly makes a living by selling fresh produce through a eMarketplace that we as the Basket team have developed by providing some of the sustainable development goals such as the Ending Hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agricultural solutions which is what is Basket Ecommerce is currently while also promoting gender equality by empowering women who are informal traders selling fresh produce to earn a living. Because we as the Basket team realized the power of enhancing the use of technology in particular information and communications technology especially with presence of the 4th Industrial Revolution to promote the empowerment of women specifically.