Supply Chain Brain Covers Covid Impact in AgTech
Finistere Ventures partner Arama Kukutai speaks with SupplyChainBrain on changing consumer patterns now and once Covid restrictions lift. FV portfolio companies Farmer’s Fridge, Plenty, Good Eggs, Tovala, CropX Technologies LTD and Taranis are rising to the challenge.
Those aspects of the agricultural supply chain that continue to rely heavily on manual labor are most vulnerable to the effects of the crisis, according to Arama Kukutai, co-founder and partner with Finistere Ventures, LLC, a venture capital firm specializing in technology for the agriculture sector. They are struggling to hold onto adequate labor, a problem caused in large part by sheltering-in-place restrictions and the hazards of close contact between workers.
Innovations on the food tech side of the business — those stages responsible for getting product from farm to consumer — are also bringing about significant change in the industry. Farmer’s Fridge makes vending machines containing fresh food products prepared in a central commissary-type kitchen. Tovala manufactures countertop ovens that can cook complete fresh meals at home.