FreshTrade CaribbeanÂ, a virtual marketplace for buying and selling local fruits and vegetables was launched earlier today in St. Lucia. This local startup company aims to support local producers and vendors by helping them connect with new customers by bringing buyers and sellers closer together through a free and easy-to-use digital marketplace.
According to a recent CARICOM report, 60% – 80% of all food consumed in the Caribbean is imported. In St Lucia, that figure is even higher.
The region’s dependence on imported food isn’t our only problem though. Did you know that an estimated 45% of all fruits and vegetables are thrown away every year before they even leave the farm? That’s because many farmers have difficulty finding buyers for their products before they spoil.
Even more surprising is that 50 cents of every 1 dollar earned by a farmer goes towards paying multiple middlemen like traders, wholesalers, transporters, and retailers.
These are just some of the reasons that motivated St Lucian entrepreneurs to launch FreshTrade – The Caribbean’s premiere virtual agriculture marketplace for fruits and vegetables.
“Whenever you try something new, you’ll always encounter dozens of reasons why it won’t work. Building an agriculture marketplace is no different. Agriculture supply chains are some of the most complex of any industry.”
But goal with FreshTrade is simple: we’re bringing farmers and consumers closer together.
There are tons of softwares out there for the agriculture industry that do very complex things. FreshTrade is very simple. If you’re looking for fresh fruits or vegetables; just log on, browse the listings, and place an order. If you’re interested in selling; log on, post a listing, and sell your product. That’s it. We’re super easy to use. Have a look at our instructional video and see for yourself.
FreshTrade is also 100% free. We have no commissions, we have no sign-up fees, and we have no advertisements. The proposition for farmers is that they can use the FreshTrade marketplace as just another channel to find customers. For buyers, FreshTrade is just a convenient way to shop for local fruits and vegetables and importantly, to build a relationship with local farmers. That’s the magic.
If you’d like to learn more, support our mission by visiting FreshTrade Caribbean at http://freshtrade.sharetribe.com and sign-up for a free profile. If you like what you see, please share with your friends.
FreshTrade Caribbean
Email: freshtradecaribbean@gmail.com
Website: http://freshtrade.sharetribe.com
