"When we shop in a conventional supermarket, less than 5 cents per Real spent goes to those who produced it, a reality that does not strengthen the most important link in the food chain."
Today we invite you to meet FazAFeira - a Brazilian family-led organisation that combined community and technology to provide a solution that connects small organic producers to costumers. Faz a Feira is led by Felipe and Aline, both activists, environmentalists and in love with people and planet. We hope you enjoy their story!
In 2020, the pandemic arrived in Brazil and organic markets in most cities were closed.
In order to survive, many producers started to deliver to consumers' homes, but without adequate tools for this. Most sales were being made via WhatsApp or online forms, adding massive operational challenges to farmers and growers already overburden with their massive important job of working the land.
In addition to all the work in the field, now the producer needed to manage online sales on the cell phone to serve customers and to transform orders into reports through spreadsheets or the sheets of a notebook. Delivery operation is different from local markets: it requires inventory control, order picking, creation of delivery routes, control of payments and receipts, etc.
Without the use of technology, it is very difficult to do all this. Technology is not limited to the automation of most of these processes, but also facilitates customer experience through e-commerces and encourages more professional management by monitoring metrics and customer information that improve business.
Meanwhile, the biggest delivery apps exponentially increased their food sales, threatening even more the direct sales between producer and consumer.
FazAFeira was created at this delicate moment and started to offer to organic and agroecological producers a free online store, an intuitive management system and all the assistance needed. In a few hours, any producer or group of producers can start selling through their own online store.
Our platform offers producers a 100% free online shop, management tools and technical support to take over the means of distribution once and for all!
Currently FazAFeira has approximately 80 stores that sell the production of more than 400 producers throughout Brazil. Social isolation has come to an end, but the habit of ordering food for delivery seems to be established, which is a great opportunity to optimize the use of technology to strengthen local markets.
Aline and Felipe are also keeping an eye on B2B sales. "In a period of enormous stimulus for large agribusiness producers and low incentives for small sustainable producers, it is essential that producers are organized in a network to market through such channel, with a variety of products and resilience in the face of the climate crisis", he reported. Aline and Felipe believe that growing the platform to organise the B2B chain of sustainable producers is their main challenge at this point.
Their vision for the near future is to leverage from connection and community support. "Local producer associations must connect to regional associations that will market the production of various local associations, gaining strength and the necessary structure to reach an increasing number of buyers."
The main source of funding for the project is, to date, the voluntary contribution made by consumers to each order issued. If you are a funder and interested in Brazilian alternative markets and regenerative food systems, please reach out to FazAFeira.