In Africa, in some countries such as Senegal, even if the productilocal people are talking about her, her visibility often leaves to be desired in an already very competitive market, due to foreign competitione and from the presence of multinational food companies. The challenge is therefore to get the urban population to consume locally, having easy access to food productsand well-being. A challenge thatAwa Caba is attempting to address by co-foundingSoreetul"with Idrissa Diatta, Ndèye Awa Guèye and Bineta Coudy From. Soreetul is a platform that brings together the rural supply of products grown and processed in Senegal with urban demand. We take you to discover this e-commerce solution that promotes the made in Senegal and female entrepreneurship.
Soreetulthe first dedicated e-commerce solutione to products processed by women in Senegal
To provide consumers living in urban areas such as Dakar with a variety of products grown and processed entirely in Senegal: this is the objective of Soreetulthe platform The name of this Senegalese company means <> in Wolof. Launched in 2014, Soreetul is a company whose mission is to to bring together all the players in the sectoragricultural technician and transformation, on a site e-commerce offering local 100% products. This allows to these producers, on the one hand, to market their goods online, and on the other hand to generate employment for the women who harvest these products.
The platform boasts a diverse range of cosmetic products, local juices, as well as fruits and cereals grown on Senegalese soil (corn, fonio, beans, sorrel, monkey bread, millet, etc.).. The idea of this solution came to Awa Cabaa young Senegalese computer engineer, when she went to work.'est makesu s major problems.The agricultural sector in Senegal is the distribution dagri-food resources and processed products. The sector employs a significant number of women (at least 40%) that are struggling to make their products visible and accessible to consumers. Aware of the importance of technology in the development of agribusiness in Africa in general and in Senegal in particular, Awa and her associates are taking advantage of the opportunity to develop a new technology that will enable them to develop their products.t their IT background, based on the technological innovations, to develop Soreetul and palliate this problem. The platform thus offers better visibility for women's cooperatives, while allowing them to adapt their offer to clients' expectations. The company currently has 23 VSEs and SMEs in different regions of Senegal.
Soreetula link between urban customers and rural suppliers, but not only...
To succeed in its mission, Soreetul accompanies each woman or group of women processors for referencing ofproducts for sale in its dedicated space, on the platform. Thisci already removes a brake for those who do not master not the use of the computer. Once on the site, the customer selects the items of his choice, adds them to his basket and validates his order from his computer or smartphone. He then receives his order and pays in cash on delivery. This This method of payment is totally adapted to the African context where many people are unbanked.
Soreetul focuses its activity on three areas:
- online sales,
- a catering service for companies set up in 2016,
- and a partnership with DIGITAGan agency ofhe digital marketing that brings together nearly 400 researchers and teachers with expertise in digital agriculture, as well as entrepreneurs. It is one of the 10 French Convergence Institutes financed within the framework of the Investissements d'Avenir, and the only one on agricultural production. This partnership has resulted in Soreetul-Digitag, a service of advice and supportmeThis is the first time that a company has been able to offer digital, webmarketing and packaging solutions to agribusiness players.
In terms of sales, Soreetul tripled its turnover between 2015 and 2017. In November 2016, it wonhas the first prize in the competition Pitch AgriHack which aims to select digital applications that can support agricultural development, with a €15,000 grant at stake. However, the startup still faces some of the challenges that competition from foreign supermarkets. It therefore needs investors more than ever to develop its business. Moreover, one of its ambitions is to expand into the largest African capitals in order to sell on an international scale.
In Senegal, the structures for processing agricultural products have few means to make their goods accessible, both on the local and international market. And this is where Soreetul which, in addition to bringing supply and demand together, makes a point of raising awareness among urban populations to get them to to turn more to local resources. It is an actor who gives a new impetus to the trade of local products in Senegal, while promoting the work of women involved in the processing of agricultural products.
