Startup creates website to link farmers, consumers

A startup company is eyeing to bridge the gap between farmers and consumers and remove the middlemen from the equation.

Fresh2Ket is an electronic commerce website where farmers can post their products and consumers can buy directly from them.

It is a combination of Farm2Ket, which focuses on bridging livestock producers and the market, and FreshConnexion, which focuses on bridging farmers with the market.

Queeny Cabizares, 19-year-old co-founder of Farm2Ket, met FreshConnexion founder Robin Moisson and co-founder Kara Rondina during the Alpha Startup Bootcamp, a five-day pre-accelerator bootcamp for startups facilitated by international accelerator company 1337 Ventures Inc. on November 9 to 13.

“Products are underpriced because of the middle men. The farmers don’t get what they deserve,” said Cabizares, a University of Cebu student. Her family owns a livestock farm.

Moisson said they were in the prototype phase and will be studying the movement of the business and improve on logistics and systems in the next two months.

“We are ready to launch the prototype and we’ll have our first farmer by the end of the week,” he said.

Two cooperatives have agreed to take part in the prototyping phase. Moisson said they will also be partnering with producers from the Cebu Farmers’ Market.

The website will provide a list of available produce and their corresponding prices. Consumers can view the profile of the farmer.

An updated price watch will also be available on the website for farmers to refer to. All payments will be wired through the cooperatives.

The first phase will target restaurants and small food chains as the primary market.

“We are already talking to some restaurants, but we need more exposure and more restaurants to join,” said FreshConnexion co-founder Kara Rondina.

The target is to penetrate the entire Cebu province and slowly expand to the rest of the Visayas by the end of 2016.

The group came out among the top 3 in the Alpha Startup Bootcamp held on November 9 to 13, along with Paspas and iMPoK. They also landed a spot on 1337 Ventures, Inc.’s accelerator program, and will undergo an intensive 12-week mentorship that will include venture and business networking, product and consumer development, as well as initial capital to start the business.