North-east firms aiming to revolutionise grocery shopping
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Two north-east start-ups have teamed up with the aim to revolutionise the grocery shopping industry.
Mad Potato located in Aberdeen wants to provide customers with all the information on the provenance of the products they sell.
It has partnered with Track Genesis to integrate a new technology on their platform called blockchain technology.
This will enable the company to fully digitize their supply chain and allow their consumers to access all the information about the product from its origin to the shelf within seconds using a smartphone or clicking on a link without installing any apps.
Ramona Obafemi founder of Mad Potato said: "Lack of transparency for the food we buy has been a growing concern over the past years.
"Seeing an increase in food related illnesses has made it more important than ever to address this complex issue.
"It is almost impossible to look at our fridge or cupboards and know where everything comes from. We know where products are packaged but know very little of where all those additives or raw materials were imported from.
"Trying to understand the labels has become such a complex issue that most of us just go with the brand names, putting all our trust in them but not knowing at all about their supply chains.
"It is not rarely we see articles about the way these big brands are damaging the environment. Supermarkets are not taking any stand in the provenance of the products they sell as they need products that will last on the shelf for a longer period."
Ramona believes the information about the products bought should be very easy to access and understand.
She added: "The concept of our business started during the Covid-19 lockdown. We are an online platform focused on the provenance of our food and on local products.
"We sell all locally made products, and if we get short on something, we outsource it as close as possible to home. We want to work together for the local industry to become more competitive to large chains.
"While we are addressing the convenience issue head on, delivering six days a week to start, we are now working on becoming price competitive too.
"We are working directly with the small producers and keeping it local which means we can have fresh deliveries every day and scrap the shelf-life all together.
"We get the products fresh in the morning and we deliver same day to our customers. It can’t get fresher than that."
Mad Potato and fellow city firm Track Genesis have gradually started with a few products after which they will roll it out to the whole product range.
The companies will fully digitize the supply chain and allow their consumers to access the information about the product from its origin to the shelf within seconds using a smartphone or clicking on a link.
Track Genesis is currently developing an algorithm to measure the carbon footprint for each food product and display it in an easy-to-understand way when the consumer scans the product.
This trend will educate consumers about the environmental impacts of the product they are buying and encourage them to make more sustainable choices.
This will also help companies to keep track of the carbon emissions and will help to achieve the net zero target.
Ramona added: "While the big chains are most likely to stay here for a while, it is important we acknowledge our role in shaping the future of our communities.
"There is a serious demand for change and it’s positive to see small businesses are taking the lead in this regard."
