Copia Global, the B2C e-commerce platform serving rural folks in East Africa has unveiled a new manufacturing unit that will enable it to enhance its output of affordable sugar and rice to the Kenyan market in a move expected to boost its revenues and take on eCommerce site Jumia and food distributor Twiga.
The Unit will allow Copia to produce its own branded sugar and rice in package amounts of 500 grams and 1 kilogram. The new machine is the second of such unit that Copia operates, and will enable Copia’s production team to stock higher amounts of Copia branded packaged rice and sugar to enhance availability of the goods and reduce the current dependency on market supply.
“Our new unit enables us to tap into the growing demand for quality goods at affordable rates,” said Tim Steel, CEO, Copia Global. “We are deepening our investments in line with consumer insights which indicate that lower cost, non-label goods are required in the market. By working with our partners and leveraging the efficiencies brought about by the new machine, we shall be able to double our current output in line with our purpose: Making Living Easier – Everyday.”
Just recently, Copia Global secured $50 million to help it accelerate its African expansion. The firm had earlier raised $26 million in a Series B equity round for the growth.
Copia currently offers two types of rice (biriyani and long grain) as well as granulated sugar in packs of 500 grams and 1 kilogram. These foods are sourced from responsible local suppliers, who are continuously vetted for quality by the company. Copia has secured all requisite regulatory approvals to provide the packaged goods, including accreditation from the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).
Beyond this, Copia offers over 4,000 products to the Kenyan and Ugandan markets, with its ambition being to provide quality products at the lowest market prices delivered at no charge to the consumer.
To date, the company has fulfilled more than 13 million orders in Kenya and Uganda through a network of over 38,000 Agents, many of whom are small shopkeepers serving as order and delivery points.
By operating its own technology-enabled world-class logistics service, Copia is able to deliver to dense urban, peri urban, rural and remote locations, even in places with poor road infrastructure or lack of addresses, at no additional delivery cost to the customer.
“Our ability to meet the rising demand for affordable goods in the market is what will give us the ability to create a sustainable and relevant e-commerce business,” said Ken Karoki, Vice President – Supply Chain, Copia Kenya. “We are deploying this machine in response to the increasing demand from the market – the new machine will let us anticipate and meet the order inflows more efficiently.”
Twiga recently launched Twiga Fresh, a new subsidiary to scale up production of local horticultural staples such as onions, tomatoes, and watermelons, making it one of Africa’s largest single horticulture farms focused solely on the home market. The firm said it will continue to run the B2B e-commerce business under Twiga, focused on building a one-stop supply-chain solution for informal retailers, delivering both Twiga and non-Twiga owned products.
Twiga Foods also entered into a distribution deal with Jumia to deliver fresh and processed food to the homes of consumers dubbed “The service will be dubbed ‘Jumia Fresh powered by Twiga’. Jumia’s arm Jumia Food, an online food ordering site recently launched Jumia Food Mart for consumers to enjoy a record 20-minute delivery when they order basic essentials like rice, milk, sugar, bread, vegetables, snacks, and personal care products.