Greenspoon, celebrating its 5th anniversary this month, has secured growth capital for rapid expansion. Greenspoon is Kenya’s first online food store to offer full transparency to its customers around the source of their food.
According to Greenspoon’s founder, Juliet Kennedy: “I founded Greenspoon in 2016, as a mother who wanted safe and high quality products for our children. I couldn’t find it all in one place, and knew that others would want something similar. The mission is now all about great quality food that is good for us, and for the planet.”
Greenspoon has shown strong organic growth over the past 5 years but found itself constrained in terms of space and logistics capacity. ‘After Covid hit Kenya last year, our business grew rapidly to a size that was not manageable from the small location we used in Hardy’. Recently, Greenspoon has moved to a warehouse in Regen, Kikuyu, improving connectivity across Nairobi and upcountry.
The growth capital will be used to fund warehousing & logistics capacity, build new online technology for improved customer experience, and increase sustainability. ‘We have always been a business for good and it is so exciting that we are now able to invest not only in growing, but also implementing increased solar power generation and use of electric mobility to further reduce the footprint of our business’, comments Juliet
Customers can expect excellent service, same day delivery and Kenya’s widest assortment of high-quality products. ‘We pride ourselves on listing Kenya’s best quality artisan products, and our ambition is to double our assortment with the most delicious, local, organic and artisan products’, says the founder. Currently Greenspoon is working with many larger and smaller producers in Kenya, such as Bila Shaka Brewery, Bio Food Products, Brown’s Cheese, Farmer Max Chicken, Grounded and The Well Hung Butcher to name a few, and welcomes applications from producers to collaborate.
As part of Greenspoon’s growth plan, Alexander Osinga (former COO of Bio Food Products) joins the business to manage operations and Aleeda Fazal (founder of software development agency Digital Tangent) to oversee the technology growth.
Mr Osinga said: ‘The retail market in Kenya is growing fast and the online retail market even faster; it is great to be part of a market that still needs to be shaped.’ Aleeda Fazal will surprise Kenyan customers with seamlessly working tech: ‘We see a really exciting opportunity to build our business with technology that makes online shopping simple, and delights our customers.’ she said. Juliet Kennedy will continue managing Greenspoon, now focusing more on customers, products, and marketing. Part of the growth plan is to provide 300 high quality jobs over the coming 5 years.
The growth capital has been provided by a consortium of Dutch investors, headed by The Blue Link, which also has interests in Highlands Drinks, Bio Food Products and Maxim Agri. Greenspoon will function as an independent entity led by Juliet Kennedy and Alexander Osinga.