Walmart-backed agritech start-up Ninjacart, on Wednesday, announced a partnership with Peru-based Camposol to import Peruvian blueberries in India.
The announcement was made in the presence of Javier Paulinich, Peru’s ambassador to India.
In a statement, Ninjacart said with this partnership the two companies aim to not boost blueberry consumption in the Tier-II cities of India but also strengthen agricultural ties between the two countries.
As a part of this collaboration, Camposol will leverage Ninjacart’s market presence, tech-enabled supply chain, and data driven approach to enter the agricultural market of the country. Leveraging Ninjacart’s network of over 100,000 retailers, the partnership ensures a reliable and consistent supply of high-quality blueberries, benefiting consumers and retailers alike.
Commenting on the partnership, Ninjacart’s Co-founder and head of international business Sharath Loganathan said that as blueberries are highly perishable, the agritech company will use its temperature-controlled supply chain system to ensure the supply of fresh produce across India. He also stated that in India, majority (90%) of the blueberry consumption happens in the Tier-I cities.
“As the fruit is highly perishable in nature and is yet to make a stable place in the traditional Indian taste buds, it is tough to commit any specific rate of success of this collaboration. However, it is anticipated that by two to three years, the consumption of the fruit will reach 40% to 50% in Tier-II towns. Our strong connections with kirana stores, supermarkets, modern trade outlets, e-commerce/quick commerce platforms, and HoReCA partners enable global brands to seamlessly reach premium customers,” he added. Further, Camposol’s senior vice president of commercial operations Sergio Torres said, “Leveraging Ninjacart’s market intelligence ensures a curated entry strategy that seamlessly introduces high-quality blueberries to the Indian market. Their extensive distribution network means consumers across India will have easy access to fresh and premium blueberries through 100,000+ retail outlets.” Founded in 1997, Camposol is a Peru-based fruit supplier which offers an array of products such as avocado, mango, blueberries, mandarin, etc. Other than Peru, its products are available across in 40 countries including Colombia, Uruguay, Chile, Mexico, among others. On the other hand, Ninjacart was founded in 2015 by Loganathan, Kartheeswaran K K, Vasudevan C, and Thiru Nagarajan. It operates as an end-to-end agritech start-up offering services like crop procurement, loans, B2B marketplace, supply chain management, etc. It is backed by the likes of Accel, Tiger Global, Trifecta Capital, Nandan Nilekani, among others.