“At the heart of AgrigateOne,” says founder Greg Whitaker, “lies a close connection to agriculture.”
Whitaker grew up on a citrus farm in Limpopo South Africa and he knows firsthand the high stakes that farmers face. That was the impetus to set up an agricultural software company. “The journey of produce from farm to table is fraught with risks, including extensive travel, numerous trade hands, significant food waste and compliance challenges.”
Regulatory complexities in the agricultural sector are only increasing, he observes. “Those who have experienced farming life best understand the financial burden of these obstacles.” He calls it a troubling paradox within the industry that farmers are inherently risk-takers and price-takers. “Even in a good year the profit margins can be thin, and during the bad ones, they are downright punishing.”
AgrigateOne’s goal is to maximise the return to the farm per carton, ensuring that those who toil to maintain a well-functioning farm, he says, reap the benefits.
NoSoft Acquisition
A critical decision for producers is the selection of farming software, and AgrigateOne’s ‘system-agnostic’ approach allows for flexibility. It aims to fill technological gaps and update obsolete systems.
Following the recent acquisition of NoSoft, a leading packhouse software, AgrigateOne is set to introduce an offline quality control app that directly feeds field data into a larger database (right).
Lauren Smith, head of commercial at AgrigateOne, emphasises their mission to automate data sets, eliminating the need for manual entry.
“The goal is a seamless data flow across parties, granting supply chain participants access to track the progress of their products through AgrigateOne’s system.”
Last year, the company achieved complete integration of the supply chain, all the way from a Limpopo citrus farm to its UK receiver. Their live dashboard allows for real-time tracking of each pallet’s journey, providing invaluable information for management and stock control.
“AgrigateOne is not just a local success,” Whitaker adds. “It has global applications, as demonstrated by its use by South American producers and worldwide receivers. For example, DSV, an airfreight company, uses AgrigateOne for tracking fresh flower and fruit shipments from Cape Town.”
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Retail emission reporting
From November this year retailers have to report on their Scope 3 emissions: the carbon footprint of all products from every place of origin included in their financial statements.
It is a pressing concern to AgrigateOne and, along with the regulatory frameworks to address climate change, issues that Whitaker follows passionately.
“With upcoming regulations requiring retailers to report their Scope 3 emissions, AgrigateOne is at the forefront, developing an index to measure carbon emissions and assisting clients in navigating these new reporting landscapes.”
