Google's ex Head of Domestic Market and YouTube in Greece, Cyprus and Malta, Ilias Sousis, along with agronomist Petros Sagkos have founded a pioneering platform providing statistical tools for farmers.
Wikifarmer is available in 12 languages and has over 12 million unique users.
The platform stands as the first e-library in the world for the farming sector and offers specialised knowledge internationally. Through Wikifarmer, farmers have free access to information, localised best practices and seminars organised by the company's fellow agronomists.
As soon as the founders saw the demand that their platform gained, they decided to create the first wholesale market place for food products.
The platform's founders said:
"We were surprised that there was a gap in the market with regards to a marketplace that directly connects producers with big clients like, hotels, restaurants, food chains. Upon identifying this gap, we thought to use our previous professional experience and take advantage of the opportunity."
By decreasing the intermediaries by up to 7 stages, the founders managed to decrease the final cost and achieve constant availability of the goods. They also managed to decrease the transportation carbon footprint, while they are considering reusable packaging and possible solutions to the problem of food waste.
Their main strategy focuses on 'farm to fork' and their goal is to assist producers in enhancing their competitiveness while helping their customers access new products, the quality of which is ensured through a specialised recommendation system.
They said:
"We can ensure availability and quality of the products any time, to and from various countries, while multiple producers can be used in the delivery of emergency orders."
The business started its operations in Greece and Italy in 2018 but has since expanded to other countries.
The founders said:
"Since January of 2022, we started operating in France and Spain and we are preparing for a second round of funding such that we are able to establish our presence while we expand our operations to other countries."
[Based on reporting by: SKAI]
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