Farmdrop was an

online grocer An online grocer is a supermarket or grocery store that allows ordering via websites or mobile apps. The order can either be collected by the customer or delivered to the customer by drivers engaged by the grocer, a food delivery service, or by ...

with a focus on

farm-to-table Farm-to-table (or farm-to-fork, and in some cases farm-to-school) is a social movement which promotes serving local food at restaurants and school cafeterias, preferably through direct acquisition from the producer (which might be a winery, brewe ...

food sourced from local farmers, fishermen, and other producers; as well as ethically sourced household products. On 17 December 2021 Farmdrop collapsed following a failure to secure additional funding.

History

Farmdrop was founded by Ben Pugh, a former stockbroker for

Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in 42 countries and more than 80,000 employees, the firm's clients in ...

, in 2012. In December 2015, the company had 20 employees, and in April 2016 worked with around 80 food producers. As of April 2018, it was working with 450 producers. Farmdrop had a

mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a smartphone, phone, tablet computer, tablet, or smartwatch, watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop appli ...

that consumers used to interface with the company. The earliest work in forming Farmdrop began with Pugh meeting local farmers at their farms to acquire prospective producers to work with the company. Various foods including

organic food Organic food, also known as ecological or biological food, refers to foods and beverages produced using methods that comply with the standards of organic farming. Standards vary worldwide, but organic farming features practices that cycle resou ...

s could be ordered online and delivered. Farmers and fishermen received a higher percentage of the retail price using Farmdrop because no middlemen were involved in the

supply chain A supply chain is a complex logistics system that consists of facilities that convert raw materials into finished products and distribute them to end consumers or end customers, while supply chain management deals with the flow of goods in distri ...

. In March 2017, the company had around 30,000 active users. In 2016, the company received £3 million in funding. In April 2017, the company received another £7 million. In June 2018, the company raised another £10 million. In September 2016, Farmdrop began providing its "Farmology" education campaign, which provided information to consumers about the origins of foods. In March 2019, an ad from the company featuring a mix of fresh produce, bacon, eggs and butter, was rejected by

TfL Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, United Kingdom. TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and se ...

due to its updated regulation on high in fat, sugar and salt foods and how they are advertised in the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

. A debate ensued, with Farmdrop raising questions around the scoring system used to determine what is healthy food. The company declared it fully supported "preventing brands from aggressively advertising

junk food "Junk food" is a term used to describe food that is high in calorie#Nutrition, calories from macronutrients such as sugar and fat, and often also high in sodium, making it hyperpalatable, and low in dietary fiber, Protein (nutrient), protein, or m ...

to children". In December 2021, the company collapsed due to the inability to secure sufficient capital to continue operating.

Notes

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite web , title=Farmdrop to host 'Farmology' educational push on food origins , website=

The Grocer ''The Grocer'' is a British digital and magazine service devoted to grocery sales, published by William Reed Ltd. It has been published since 1862. The Grocer 33 A feature of the service is 'The Grocer 33'. This is a survey of each of the fi ...

, date=13 September 2016 , url=http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/channels/farmdrop-to-host-farmology-educational-push-on-food-origins/541894.article , access-date=31 October 2016 {{cite web , last=Brouwer , first=Lotte , title=A man on a mission: How Farmdrop is fixing the food chain , website=Country & Town House Magazine , date=19 October 2015 , url=https://www.countryandtownhouse.co.uk/food-and-drink/a-man-on-a-mission-how-farmdrop-is-fixing-the-food-chain/ , access-date=31 October 2016 {{cite web , last=Cohen , first=Claire , title=Word of mouth: FarmDrop, bringing local food to the masses , website=The Telegraph , date=27 March 2014 , url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/10723895/Word-of-mouth-FarmDrop-bringing-local-food-to-the-masses.html , access-date=31 October 2016 {{cite web , last1=Leal , first1=Natalie , last2=Zee , first2=Bibi van der , title=Off the shelf: are people finally turning away from supermarkets? , website=

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

, date=20 August 2014 , url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/20/off-the-shelf-are-people-finally-turning-away-from-supermarkets , access-date=31 October 2016 {{cite web , last=Burns , first=Michael , title=News , website=Digital Arts , date=5 April 2016 , url=http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/graphic-design/jean-jullien-supermundane-famrdrop-badges/ , access-date=31 October 2016 {{cite web , last=Scott , first=Sue , title=Online farm produce company enjoys rapid growth , website=

Farmers Weekly ''Farmers Weekly'' is a magazine aimed at the British farming industry. It provides news; business features; a weekly digest of facts and figures about British, European and world agriculture; and livestock, arable and machinery sections wi ...

, date=17 April 2016 , url=http://www.fwi.co.uk/business/online-farm-produce-company-enjoys-rapid-growth.htm , access-date=31 October 2016 {{cite web , last=Rodionova , first=Zlata , title=Farmdrop: This app could stop shoppers going to supermarkets for groceries , website=The Independent , date=3 March 2017 , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/Business/indyventure/farmdrop-app-supermarket-shoppers-groceries-food-drink-buy-customers-online-a7609686.html , access-date=26 October 2017 {{cite book , last=Carolan , first=M.S. , title=No One Eats Alone: Food as a Social Enterprise , publisher=

Island Press Island Press is a nonprofit, environmental publisher based in Washington, D.C., United States, that specializes in natural history, ecology, conservation, and the built environment. Established in 1978, Island Press generates about half of its ...

, year=2017 , isbn=978-1-61091-804-6 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9ScgDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA128 , access-date=26 October 2017 , pages=128–132 {{cite news , title=The Great British Box Off: which veg box is best for quality and value? , website=

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...

, date=3 March 2017 , url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/great-british-box-veg-box-best-quality-value/ , access-date=3 November 2017 Food retailers of the United Kingdom Online grocers Companies based in the London Borough of Islington Retail companies established in 2012 2012 establishments in the United Kingdom Online retailers of the United Kingdom

History

See also

Notes

References