eHarvestHub, a Discovery Bay, Calif.-based startup backed by VenturesLab Fund, China, is harnessing blockchain technology to revolutionize the farm-to-consumer food supply chain.
eHarvestHub is a decentralized fresh food marketplace that enables small farmers to sell directly to grocers from around the world – cutting out the many layers of middlemen.
Using blockchain technology, eHarvestHub eliminates waste by drastically speeding up the time it takes for food to arrive from farm to store. It also brings transparency to the food chain, allowing consumers to pinpoint exactly where their food came from and when it was grown.
eHarvestHub’s marketplace allows farmers to list their fresh produce and aggregates volume across multiple small farmers, essentially giving grocers one location to shop from and still meet volume demand.
The marketplace gives farmers direct access to grocers both locally and abroad. After their food is sold, farmers can then directly hire independent owner/operator truckers.
As for grocers, with a click, they have direct access to a farmer’s inventory when sourcing fresh produce. Meanwhile, truckers have a mobile app through which they can directly access loads without having to spend money or time on marketing.
“The supply chain needs a radical change. It needs to be turned upside down. You must take care of the farmer and trucker first to radically decentralize the food chain,” says Alvaro Ramirez, founder and CEO of eHarvestHub. “Blockchain is the perfect tech to change the food industry. In fact, it’s the only technology that can truly change the industry.”