After going through an incubation program in 2022, the Kenyan agritech launched its pilot phase in February 2023. Then, with its partners, it decided to proceed to the official launch this month.  

Tawi is an agritech marketplace developed by a Kenyan startup. It allows hotels, restaurants, caterers, schools, and hospitals, to directly access fresh produce from small-scale farmers via its web platform. The startup, founded by Cherotich Rutto, launched its platform in 2023 after incubating with SC Ventures, a subsidiary of British bank Standard Chartered.

“Tawi will connect our farmers to an estimated Sh200 billion (US$1.6 billion) market opportunity. Through this platform, farmers will earn more for their produce while also improving the supply-chain efficiency of high-quality products to commercial clients," said Cherotich Rutto, the founder and CEO of Tawi.

The solution does not have a mobile app yet. So, users need to visit its web platform to register either as buyers or sellers.

Between February 2023 when it started testing the platform and May 2023 when it officially launched, Tawi has registered more than 1,000 farmers, and 250 commercial kitchens and made more than 1,000 deliveries. 

Deliveries are managed by the startup’s logistics teams, 12 to 18 hours after the orders (a minimum of Ksh2,000 or $14.71) are completed. 

The agritech ensures that at least 25 percent of the farmers it partners with are women and youth and that 90 percent of the produce comes directly from farmers. It also plans to integrate financial services like loans and microinsurance, as well as agronomic assistance to spearhead the adoption of good agricultural practices. For the time being, the startup, launched on May 9, 2023, has no expansion plan. 

Adoni Conrad Quenum