Ethiopia - Business creation project

Describe your project or startup in a few words

KinashMarts is a fresh farm produces aggregator and distibutor of fresh and organic vegtables, fruits, honey and spices used for day to day home consumption through its ecommerce platform. It works to create sustainable livelihood for smallholder farmers

01.01 Describe your project in more detail

The project aims to onboard smallholder farmers in Ethiopia to sell their farm produces in a competitive market by creating a market linkage between farm to urban users. It has developed a Minimum Viable Product (web and mobile) app for end user customers to order from the ecommerce platform which is a single vendor aggregator. And as its USP, it aims to distribute to small vendor shops in the capital city and 2 regional states as its piloting and will expand to East Africa as an affordable, close to home locations of buyers. It is also developing its delivery and shipment tracking app for drivers with vehicle owners to generate additional income from delivery services. With its foundation in circular economy and innovation, it works to engage smallholder famers as its key suppliers and works to create value chain in organic farming, with a motto From Farm to Plate in Green Economy.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

The major probles comes in two folds, smallholder farmers don't have sustainable market chain and end users pay high prices to get food items due to middle men in the market. With the innovation end user customers can buy food at affordable prices, while farmers get sustainable livlihood. And the business works with development market systems that are gender inclusive through engaging women led farmers and their households, provide training and create value addition.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your project intends to provide (at least 3).

1. End user Customers can order fresh from farm at a discounted price. 2. Smallholder farmers can access a call center and in short time deliver their new stocks to the market. 3. People not only experience the markets digital experience but they will find the same products at their doorsteps. Or at their near by shop. 4. It will remove middle men that add too much price on basic human needs, food as it follows discount and affordability. 5. Its users benefit from organically produced farm produces.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your project is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

The target beneficiaries are households, and at a larger scale companies in hotel industries to find affodable farm produces. On the other hand are smallholder farmers and farmers in livestock and poultry as well that finds it challenging to survive in the market due to middle men or Agents that put beyond average prices making living difficult for farmers and end consumers. It will also supply to Airlines and Hospitals. Aside from city beneficiaries, the 2 other locations of piloting in Eastern and Southern Ethiopia - the target groups are Host and Refugee communities and households in Gambella and Jijiga.

01.05 When did you start working on your project?

2023-08-01

01.06 How many other partners are associated with your business venture?

5

01.07 Among the other partners, how many are female?

70

01.08 Please describe the profile of each of the other partners (skills, experience, etc.)

Elleni Dereje, Founder and Managing Director, is a data scientists and business development professional with experience in investment consulting, market system development and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning expert for host and refugee communities. She is a startup builder and a recent graduate of CFO 100 program with keen interest in farming and market linkage creations through technology. Betelhem Teshome, Co-Founder and Operations manger is a Biologiest and food science and nutrition professional with keen interest in agricultural and sustainable food sources for women and children.

01.09 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link here:

01.10 Which industry best describes your project?

l) Agriculture

02.01.01 My project contributes to the No poverty goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification

Poverty is not only not having money, it also means when the money people have doesn't have a value enough to buy their basic necessity. My startup will solve this in creating sustainable farming mechanisms to farmers from their use of land for surplus harvest all the way to customers to be able to buy with discounts.

02.02.01 My project contributes to the Zero hunger goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification

My project contribute to the Zero hunger goal thorugh providing acess to farmers sell their products and not go to waste because there is unfair advantage. And for households, to buy in a sustainable manner that a household doesn't need to skip a meal because its not affotadable.

02.03.01 My project contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification

My project will enable health and well being as the farm produces don't use additives or non eco friendly fertilizer to produce their products as it promotes organic farming

02.04.01 My project contributes to the Quality education goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification

It promotes quality training for farsmer on sustainable farming and with sustainable income to send their childern to schools .

02.05.01 My project contributes to the Gender equality goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification

It works with women owned farmes and is gender inclusive of access to market linkage and knowledge transfer to women and men farmers in project areas. And it will also select 50% of its vendors to be women owned shops as its agents.

02.06.01 My project contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification

It will collaborate with partners to create access to clean water and wells.

02.07.01 My project contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification

It will sell solar energy kits to farmers in rural areas where they can pay monthly topup fees. And will Introduce solar energy kiosks for rural vendor agents to sell farm produces.

02.08.01 My project contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

7 - Strongly Agree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification

It will create more job at farms due to frequent harvest schdules of distribution centers.

02.09.01 My project contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

7 - Strongly Agree

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification

It will use innovation to solve through value addition in better framing. A cold chain facility for farmers from locally available materials. Will also utilize hydroponics and similar innovation.

02.10.01 My project contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification

It include women to be decisoin makers and suppliers.

02.11.01 My project contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification

It enables rural and urban farming to supply chain.

02.12.01 My project contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification

It trains producers on farming without deforestation.

02.13.01 My project contributes to the Climate action goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification

It works on less CO2 emissions and liquid fetilizer innovative solutions.

02.14.01 My project contributes to the Life below water goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification

As it plans to grows to sell fish, it will work on trianing fish mungers on caring for marine bodies. And teach farmers to care for water bodies from pollutions.

02.15.01 My project contributes to the Life on land goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification

It trains farmers on land use.

02.16.01 My project contributes to the Peace justice and strong institutions goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.16.02 Peace justice and strong institutions - Justification

As it creats livelihood it promots settlement to farmers and households not to be displaced

02.17.01 My project contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification

Its open to work with key partners and partnerships in innovative and incluisve programs.

05.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

1 - Strongly Disagree

05.02 The product/service we envision creating represents an entirely new type of product/service.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.03 The product/service we envision creating could be described as a new technology.

1 - Strongly Disagree

05.04 The product/service we envision creating is an improvement on an existing product or service.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.05 The product/service we envision creating could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.06 The product/service we envision creating responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.07 The product/service we envision creating is a new version of an old product/service.

1 - Strongly Disagree

05.08 Justification

My project is unique as there are no aggregators and distribution companise working with discounts

05.09 Who are your main potential competitors and what makes you stand out from them?

Keeberaw.com and and super markets, they have high prices and lack proximity.

10.06 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

Yes, recruiting women owned vendor shops