Chile’s small-scale farmers play a crucial role in food production, yet many live in poverty as a result of extensive value chains involving multiple intermediaries that end up reducing their total earnings.

Savia, previously Fresh and Co., is a grocery e-commerce enterprise founded in Chile that is committed to increasing earnings for small-scale farmers. Savia is able to pay the farmers in its network 90% more than what wholesale competitors are paying because of a simplified value chain, its focus on technology, and investments in the training of farmers.

Beyond employing local residents for roles in packaging, farm transportation, and last-mile delivery, Savia improves the incomes of small-scale farmers by training them in value-add activities that increase the profitability of their products. For example, it has partnered with the “Instituto de Desarrollo Agropecuario 3” to improve and strengthen the production capacity of 30 farmers, and onboard them into the network as graduates and suppliers of Savia. 

As part of the portfolio, Savia will build a heterogeneous group of farmers that can expand their production (from 1 to 20 acres), the crop variety (from single crop producers to multi-crop producers), and the use of technology in production and distribution. 

Programme support:

NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship welcomed Savia into the portfolio to help the enterprise scale its impact. To achieve these growth objectives, the company will focus on extending its reach to small and medium agricultural communities. NESsT will support the company to support a heterogeneous group of farmers with different production capacities and crop varieties, from single crop producers to multi-crop producers.

Read more about Savia's rebranding journey here.