About

Despite the size and importance of the agricultural sector, there is a significant gap between the price paid by the consumer and the price sold by the producer. This is due to the existence of intermediaries (mainly wholesalers, supermarkets, and grocery stores). Producers usually charge 25% of the retail price for most of the fruit and vegetables. In addition, the existence of the above intermediaries significantly increases the time needed for the product to reach the consumer. As a result, a significant percentage of fresh / sensitive products is discarded because it spoils or rots at various stages of the logistics operations. The above model limits the income of producers and consumers. It is also an environmental harmful model (multiple packaging and unnecessary transports due to the large number of intermediaries). At the same time, the rapid growth of e-commerce, which was further strengthened during the covid-19 pandemic, constitutes a significant opportunity for online marketplaces. Today, the digital transformation of logistics operations (e.g., digital twin and WMS) allows the establishment of more efficient P2C models, without the presence of intermediaries, even for the sensitive agricultural products. It is also highlighted that the cost of production on agriculture increased by 0,3% (2020 vs 2019) and 2,7% (2019 vs 2018). Taking into consideration the current energy crisis in the EU, cost reduction is a key objective for the producers.

Solution & Product

Laiki.eu is a P2C online marketplace and logistics service provider that disrupts the model above, through the elimination of intermediaries between the producer of agricultural products and the final consumer. When the consumer creates an order on Laiki.eu, the product is still in the field! The order is transferred online to the respective producer, who then does the harvest on his farm and packs. The producers send their products to our innovative 2.000m2 warehouse in Koropi. Τhe option of collecting the products from the point of production is also offered. Using “Digital Twin” technology and a state-of-the-art WMS we optimize the placement of products ion our warehouse and the consolidation / grouping of the orders. Additionally, using custom on-line dial-a-ride algorithms we also optimize the delivery schedule or/and product receipt. As a result, Laiki.eu guarantees on-time delivery with low cost (efficiently), limited packaging and minimum Co2 emissions. It is highlighted that Laiki.eu is an added-value logistics service provider for the producer and not a wholesaler like supermarkets. Laiki.eu does not set the price of the product and has no retail profit. The producers are paid immediately upon the delivery of each order to the respective consumer. A new service of collecting useful for the producer biodegradable household waste from the final consumer is being designed in the context of further promoting the circular economy through our business model

Innovation & Scalability

Business model innovation: Our business model innovation comes from our unique value proposition. We are the only A P2C online marketplace for agricultural products that offers added-value technology driven logistics services to the producers, significantly reducing cost and time delivery, eliminating intermediaries between the producer of agricultural products and the final consumer. Technology innovation: Due to the sensitivity of agricultural products we developed key technological innovations to support our business model: (a) Warehouse “Digital Twins (WDT)” that support the design/re-design and layout of our 2.000m2 facilities in Koropi, allowing to optimize space utilization and the movement of different products. During warehouse operations, the digital twin is constantly updated with data to continuously improve operations efficiency. (b) Warehouse Management System (WMS) to optimize inventory management based on the orders and ensure product availability. (c) Distribution / delivery optimization system. A s/w with embedded custom “online dial a ride” algorithms to optimize “delivery to customer” operation and the collection of the products directly from the point of production (minimize cost and time needed). Our technology driven business model and our technological innovations can easily support growth and scalability in Greece and abroad as storage optimization, WMS and WDT reduce the need on CapEx on new storage facilities in the short term.

Traction & achievements

04/01/2021: establishment of the company 01/09/2021: the premises of the company are ready: 2.000 sq.m. of warehouse with cross-docking space and refrigerators/cold stores 01/10/2021: stable version of the on line marketplace (e-shop, order management, WMS, routing) 01/11/2021: conduction of contracts with 30 producers/suppliers and test run 03/01/2022: regular operation of the company with 2 vehicles and 6 employees, completion of SOPs and of the software

Team & Why Us

Christina-Dionysia Sarantidou: Legal scientist, CEO, Chair of the BoD (https://www.linkedin.com/in/χριστίνα-σαραντίδου-a8ab4a74/) Varvara Psaroudi: Agricultural scientist, Operations’ Manager (https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-psaroudi-3a593075/) Konstantinos Strouvalis: Economist, Chief Financial Officer Antonis Kalkanof: Software engineer, Chief Technology Officer (https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonis-kalkanof-2b644966/) Thanasis Pantopoulos: Mechanical engineer, Logistics director (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thanasis-pantopoulos-2a3604156/)

Funding Needs

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