Carlos Ávila and his wife do their regular shopping at the Sauces 9 market, north of Guayaquil. On those constant visits to the grocery store, they watched many of his friends and other people, from the middle and upper-middle class, sit in their cars while their maids shopped at the market.
They began to ask and investigate the reason for this situation and discovered that people went for the savings generated by buying food in markets than in supermarkets. “Many told us that they saved 50% on potatoes, rice, and tomatoes,” says Carlos. It was there that they came up with the idea of creating a delivery application that “connects” the so-called caseritos with these users who have a demand for their products.
“That’s where Ecofast was born. In the first part of our project we are focused on the two largest markets in Guayaquil: Sauces 9 and Mapasingue Oeste. Our initial coverage area is via the coast, Samborondón, satellite Daule and Ceibos“, He says.
They currently have agreements with three landlords for vegetables and three for fruit in each market, but they will increase according to demand. The only requirement for a merchant to enter Ecofast, says Carlos, is that they deliver the best products: “This type of service did not seem like anything new to them, since they already make home deliveries after closing their market stall. At three in the afternoon. However, they are excited to be on a platform that does not emit CO2 emissions.”
In addition, Ecofast is the first 100% ecological delivery platform, since it has 100 motorcycles and 20 electric cars to make the delivery. The investment was $400,000 in vehicles and $125,000 in motorcycles. Carlos together with his wife made a bank loan to complete the project.
Users choose the products they want to be delivered to their homes and the so-called pickers (trained people who are in charge of selecting the products) are in charge of making the purchase. Then, they deliver the products to the ecodrivers (drivers) who are outside the two markets. With each delivery, the customer will be able to see a CO2 meter so that they can see in real time the amount of gases that were not emitted during the purchase.
The orders arrive in perfect condition and at the correct temperature, since backpacks are not used but rather thermal drawers that maintain the temperature of the food.
“The products have the same market price. We do not charge the merchant for being on our platform. The only thing we charge is delivery. This is how we generate more clients to the caseritos through technology”, indicates Carlos.
He says that the launch of the platform has not been easy, since it occurred in the midst of the national strike that the country suffered recently and there is also a resurgence of those infected with COVID-19.
To select the personnel who work in the application, “strict” controls are carried out and even criminal records are requested. 95% of ecodrivers are young people who do not have a job when they leave school or are in university.
Another of the great challenges that the app has had to face is the charging system for its vehicles, since in the country the construction of charging stations has not advanced much: “We are loading the motorcycles at our points, we have three points. The vehicles are charged in our yards where we have slow charging connectors and we are setting up a fast charging connector. Unfortunately, the State has not helped sustainable mobility”.
Ecofast also wants to enter the large supermarkets, but Carlos says that it has been “difficult for large companies to enter because they are preferring international platforms even though they are polluting.” In addition, the app already has agreements with restaurants, minimarkets, hardware stores and pharmacies in its coverage area to provide the delivery service. It is also making alliances with companies that offer biodegradable containers and covers made of ecological material, in order to reduce the consumption of plastics. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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