Experienced Horticulture Exporter INI Farms Joins E-Commerce Bandwagon
Agri-Tech category is on a massive expansion spree. Eleven-year-old horticultural exporter and a well-known name in the Farm-to-Home segment - INI Farms - has now joined the e-commerce bandwagon through Kimaye.com, a website through which customers would be able to order a range of fresh fruit products straight from the farms. There are a whole host of such companies established across major cities and towns that are connecting consumers to farms by offering farm-fresh fruits and vegetables directly to home thereby boosting the farmer's income and by providing 'fresh' produce to the discerning consumer.
Kimaye, for now, will only be delivering too all Pin Codes in Mumbai. However, it will soon offer its services in more cities and pin codes, the company said. INI Farms is offering fresh fruits as well as ready-to-eat fresh cuts range on Kimaye.com. The word 'Kimaye', the company said, means divine in Sanskrit.
INI Farms has been exporting fresh farm produce around the world to around 35 countries through their dealer-network (not through e-commerce). Domestically, INI Farms is in business with major retailers such as Big Bazaar, Foodhall, More, and Star Bazaar in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.
When asked about expansion plans, Pankaj Khandelwal, Chairman, and Managing Director, INI Farms said, “Our priority is focusing on consistent supply to homes in Mumbai first rather than scaling across different cities simultaneously.” INI Farms said it has over 200 people working for it that are able to produce over 40,000 tons of fresh fruits every year.
It's supply chain, the company claimed, starts from farm-gate where they work pre-harvest with the farmers—from farm to retailer’s distribution center. The company also follows an omnichannel strategy by working with other platforms like Swiggy, Dunzo, and Near.Store, it said.
Why venture into e-commerce? Khandelwal said, “People are increasingly becoming conscious of their health and the safety of the food they consume. At INI Farms, our aim is to provide fruits that meet international safety standards to the customers in India, now from the comfort of their homes.”
The e-market concept is fast catching on among farmers and farm-to-home agri-tech firms. Like Kimaye.com, a whole host of Ag-Tech firms are operational selling fresh farm produce directly to the consumers using the power of e-commerce, better logistics connect and technology as there has been a surge in the 'health and wellness' category post-pandemic. Some examples of Ag-Tech companies include Fraazo (Mumbai and Pune region delivering fresh fruits and vegetables), Farmers Fresh Zone (Kerala), Gold Farm (farm equipment booking platform), MeraKisan ( a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mahindra and Mahindra), Ninjacart ( tech-driven supply chain platform that connects farmers of fresh vegetables and fruits with kiranas and businesses) among others. In fact, Ninjacart recently received an investment of $30 million from Flipkart and Walmart.
