UK farmers are looking at more radical retail options in an effort to beat the dairy crisis according to Farmdrop, which has seen a 700% increase in farmers registering to sell their milk direct to consumers.
Farmdrop, the online marketplace that lets people buy fresh food from local producers, passes dairy farmers 80% of the retail cost of milk compared to an average 50 per cent they currently receive from supermarkets.
The London-based start-up was founded by ex-Morgan Stanley stockbroker, Ben Pugh, and food industry specialist, Ben Patten, with a mission to fix the food supply chain by removing unnecessary middlemen to give consumers better quality, fresher food and producers a fairer financial deal. The company, which currently serves a London audience, has seen a 422% increase in people buying milk direct from local farmers.
Ben Pugh from Farmdrop comments: “The on-going milk crisis has shown just how broken the current food supply chain is for both producers and consumers. There¹s been huge technological innovation in industries like entertainment, travel and finance and it is now time for the internet to help completely re-engineer the food industry. We know that 70% of people want to buy local and support local producers, and we’ve found a way to serve that need, remove unnecessary middlemen and give people better quality food and farmers a better financial deal and reduce waste. The popularity of the concept suggests that a revolution is underway, and we¹re confident that the revolution will be delicious for everyone.”
Bradley Manford from Hinxden Farm in Kent who has switched to sell through Farmdrop
