HofladenBOX
E-marketplace that connects food customers with farmers in Fürth Smart Village
Description
The HofladenBOX marketplace allows customers to buy directly from various regional suppliers, reducing the involvement of intermediaries, and bringing customers who want to buy regional products together with small-scale suppliers. HofladenBOX handles the digital platform and all the stages in the food supply chain, from handling to logistics and marketing. Around 60 farmers carpool do deliver their orders twice a week to the HofladenBOX team, which packs the ordered products in boxes and delivers them to the customer. For many farmers, HofladenBOX has become an important distribution channel, allowing jobs to be maintained in regional agriculture. The system contributes to reductions in CO2 by reducing transport, and packaging materials are also reduced.
Technology
HofladenBOX accessbiel via browser.
Target
The main users of the HofladenBOX online marketplace are the general public/food consumers. Some 60 smallholder farms offer local produce to the market through the platform.
Business model
The digital platform has been supported by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD-funded project). Public contributions to the project have amounted to EUR 180 000 (2017-present). HofladenBOX is also funded by the federal government, and benefits from some tax exemptions. The platform charges a delivery fee of EUR 4.90 to bring the goods to the doorsteps. For order values above EUR 69, deliveries are made free of charge. There is no minimum order value, although the platform charges the consumers EUR 1.80 per order for orders below EUR 25.
Impact
The project has multiple impacts. The end-users (customers) benefit from the access provided to regional, fresh food produced by small producers, thus improving their nutrition, decreasing the costs of transport and reducing their carbon footprint. At the other end of the chain, farmers and regional producers benefit from a fairer market and the ability to set their own prices, while gaining access to a broader market, as well as intermediary-free marketing and logistics operations. This is foreseen to have a positive impact on the sustainability of producers. Environmentally speaking, the project contributes to the reduction of CO2 through the short transportation routes associated with regionally produced products.
Partners
LEADER local action group; Federal government; Freistaat Bayern
Four Betters
Better nutrition
Better environment
Better life
