Copia Global, a B2C e-Commerce platform that serves 750 million middle and low-income African consumer market, has been awarded the Direct to Consumer Service of the Year Award in the 2022 AgTech Breakthrough Awards, which recognise the world’s best agricultural and food technology companies, products, and services. Copia was recognised for its innovative approach to providing solutions to farmers in Kenya via its established e-Commerce business.
Copia has also received official certification from the Kenya Veterinary Board (KVB) that will enable it to offer a wider array of services to the growing number of its customers engaged in the agricultural sector.
“The agricultural sector plays a pivotal role in Kenya’s economy and forms a critical element for national food security,” said Tim Steel, CEO, Copia Global. “Based on the fact that over 90% of our customers are engaged in agricultural activity, we believe that enabling enhanced access to farming inputs aligns very closely with Copia’s mission to ensure that we are making lives easier every day for our customers.”
Agriculture currently contributes to over 33% of Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and adds an additional 27% of GDP indirectly through linkages with other sectors.
Launched earlier this year, Copia’s Farming Division builds on the insight that the agricultural sector is currently underserved in the supply of farming inputs and services.
In response, in January of this year, Copia launched an advisory service via a free-to-call call line (0800 721295) that is manned by over 20 registered vet and agronomy professionals. The line currently receives hundreds of calls per day and provides Copia customers with training and agro-extension guidance to farmers at no extra cost.
“This service allows us to go beyond simply selling goods to our customers to facilitate their access to government certified agricultural inputs and advisory extension services on our platform so that they are better empowered to build thriving and sustainable agricultural businesses,” said Mr. Steel.
Alongside the latest certification from KVB, Copia has also received certifications from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) and the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS).
The Farming Division supplements Copia’s unique consumer retail e-commerce offering of over 4,000 products on its platform for the Kenyan and Ugandan markets, with Copia’s ambition being to provide quality products at the lowest market prices delivered at no charge to the consumer.
Copia secured the Agtech Breakthrough Award after winning several other industry awards across multiple categories, including the Best Operator in the Mobile/eCommerce Award at the Digital Tech 100 Excellence Awards, the Most Innovative Supply Chain Projects and Operations Award at the Africa Supply Chain Excellence Awards (ASCEA) and the Best E-commerce Team and Best Customer Service at the Kenyan E-commerce Awards.
The company fulfills millions of orders in Kenya and Uganda through its 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 as well as a mix of offline and online solutions, 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.