Twiga Foods launched in Kenya with an ambitious B2C vision: connect farmers directly with consumers through a mobile platform, eliminating middlemen and reducing food prices. Farmers would list produce on the app, and consumers would order for delivery. The company raised significant funding from international investors excited about African agritech.
Company Data
- Founded: 2014 — Kenya
- Original Model Failed: B2C farmer-to-consumer
- Survived By: Pivoting to B2B (supplying vendors)
The B2C model collapsed under logistical reality. Delivering individual orders to consumers across Nairobi was far more expensive than projected. Farmers needed consistent volume, not one-off consumer orders. The cold chain for fresh produce was unreliable. Twiga survived by pivoting entirely to B2B—supplying market vendors and restaurants—but the original "direct to consumer" vision was a failure.
Key Lesson
B2C food delivery from farms to consumers requires solving the hardest logistics problems in any market—and in emerging markets, those problems are exponentially harder. B2B aggregation is often the viable path.