SC Ventures, the fintech and investment arm of Standard Chartered, has launched Tawi, an agritech marketplace in Kenya that aims to connect smallholder farmers with a consistent market, price transparency, and efficient supply chain management. Tawi’s primary goal is to make the food and agriculture value chain more sustainable by aggregating demand and simplifying the process of buying and selling fresh produce at a commercial scale.

The platform will source fresh produce directly from farmers, offering a viable market for smallholder farmers who have previously experienced challenges such as post-harvest losses due to a lack of viable marketplaces. Tawi aims to address this issue by fulfilling the gap between smallholder farmers and commercial clients.

Since its testing phase in February, Tawi has already onboarded over 1,000 farmers and 250 commercial kitchens, fulfilling over 1,000 deliveries. In the early stages, Tawi will supply commercial kitchens that represent around Sh28 billion in predictable market opportunity.

In the future, Tawi plans to embed financial services such as loans and micro-insurance and offer value-added services such as agronomic support for best agricultural practices. Tawi has adopted a phased approach to building its marketplace and business model, aiming to help smallholder farmers improve crop quality, scale, and earn more for their produce.

Tawi’s launch demonstrates SC Ventures’ commitment to improving the food and agriculture value chain in Kenya, providing smallholder farmers with a consistent market and addressing challenges such as poor quality produce and fragmented supply chains. The launch of Tawi is a significant step towards improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, making the food and agriculture value chain more sustainable and profitable, and driving growth for partners and businesses.