Taking technology as a competitive advantage “The FoodMap e-commerce platform connecting farmers, agricultural producers with commercial enterprises and consumers was established in December 2018. We set ourselves two main missions: Increasing the value of Vietnamese agricultural products; Extending the reach of Vietnamese agricultural products to go further. Up to now, all of our activities have always followed the original mission”, said FoodMap Founder and CEO Pham Ngoc Anh Tung.

FoodMap Founder and CEO Pham Ngoc Anh Tung (Photo: Provided by the character)

Operating in the agricultural sector with many traditional companies with decades of experience, young startups can hardly "compete" in terms of financial potential or human resources with the "big guys", FoodMap identifies its competitive advantage as technology. FoodMap's young workforce (average age is 25) has the ability to quickly access new channels in e-commerce such as livestream, online sales..., this is something that many traditional agricultural companies really want but have not been able to do well. "Technology is our top priority. Every year, 20 - 25% of the company's budget is spent on R&D (research and development) activities and deploying technology systems. Even new technologies such as AI (artificial intelligence), IoT (Internet of Things)... are also selected for research and deployment in accordance with reality. The company encourages departments and divisions to use AI as a tool to increase performance, quality, and work efficiency. AI applications at FoodMap are increasing day by day,” Mr. Tung emphasized. Up to now, FoodMap has had a diverse technology ecosystem, from order management systems, real-time inventory management, to supplier management, customer management, etc. Customer data and market data are continuously collected and analyzed through the systems. The agricultural technology startup also built FoodMap Insight software specifically for companies operating in the agricultural sector to optimize data management operations and forecast analysis.

FoodMap's app and website (Photo: Provided by the character)

Established 5 years ago but nearly 2.5 years affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, the agricultural technology startup must be flexible and adaptable to survive. Before and during the pandemic, FoodMap focused on B2C retail business, after the pandemic, it expanded to the B2B wholesale channel to increase sales and create a sustainable source of revenue. With a wealth of new ideas, but limited resources for the startup, FoodMap's leaders boldly said no to ideas that were not really "timely" even though they were considered "fertile" and potential business segments, such as opening a chain of clean agricultural stores or implementing agricultural finance... "In a volatile market with many challenges for startups, especially agricultural startups, many companies similar to us have had to close down and leave. FoodMap's survival and development is a very lucky thing. We have tried very hard to continue the journey of realizing our vision and mission," Mr. Tung frankly acknowledged. Looking back on the startup journey, it is inevitable that there will be ups and downs, but the founder of FoodMap has never thought of stopping. “Difficulties with startups always exist and happen every day. You need to be mentally prepared that difficulties are normal, and you will find a way to solve that problem. I often joke that: There are many paths leading up the mountain to see the moon. And there will be times when you have to take a detour and cannot go straight. People are better than each other not when things are going well but when things are difficult. It is the attitude and the way you deal with difficulties that will determine the success or failure of a startup,” the founder of FoodMap shared his experience. A bridge to bring Vietnamese agricultural products to the world A variety of agricultural products and food from hundreds of cooperatives, farms, farming households, etc. are being supplied on the FoodMap e-commerce platform. All products are integrated with QR codes, transparently displaying information and product origin via the website or mobile application.

FoodMap accompanies farmers during durian season (Photo: Character provided).

The most satisfying thing for the founder of FoodMap is that over the past half decade, the agricultural technology startup has supported many farmers, cooperatives, and agricultural production enterprises to have a good source of income. A typical example is Mr. Tuan's family - a farming household specializing in palm sugar production in An Giang, doing business on the FoodMap e-commerce platform for more than 5 years. "In 2018 - 2019, the palm sugar industry in An Giang was not very developed, there were not many palm sugar producers to do business online. We helped Mr. Tuan's small production facility build a story for marketing and sales, design packaging, find output for products..., thanks to which his family's income increased rapidly. About 3 years ago, his family built a new house, becoming a typical example for many other farmers to follow to restore the traditional sugar industry in An Giang. Every year we often visit him, every time it is as happy as visiting family", Mr. Tung happily continued. Last year, FoodMap exported many agricultural products to several countries. The special thing is that it exported products with Vietnamese brands, not raw materials. The dream of "becoming an extension of Vietnamese agricultural products abroad" began to be realized. "We have exported large quantities, with many 40-foot containers every month, mainly fresh fruits with the FoodMap Fruit brand. Selling agricultural products abroad is a good thing, but now we are gradually selling with larger output, good prices with Vietnamese brands. Currently, we sell many products but the price is still unstable because the products do not have a brand. If there were a brand, the selling price would be higher. Hopefully in the near future, more FoodMap products in particular and Vietnamese branded agricultural products in general can be on the shelves of large supermarkets in European and American countries," Mr. Tung excitedly expressed.

FoodMap has exported many agricultural products to a number of countries (Photo: Provided by the character).

The founder of FoodMap clearly identified that the journey to conquer the international market will be very difficult. First of all, the ability to work with international partners must be professional, not only in terms of paperwork and procedures, but also in terms of services and people that are on par with them, so that in negotiations, we will always be on an equal footing. Along with that, when entering the export "game", the demand for goods is very large, it is necessary to have preparation in terms of financial resources, professional skills and market understanding. With the support of a number of investors from Singapore, the US..., FoodMap has more capital to play the "game" longer, have greater endurance to realize a longer-term vision. Investors with good relationships in foreign markets also help young startups connect with experts, enhance business management experience... Envisioning the future, Mr. Tung said, one of the big goals in the next 5 years is "FoodMap becomes a large Agritech company in Southeast Asia". Technology will continue to be the "key" to help FoodMap grow quickly, strongly and sustainably. Vietnamese agricultural technology startups will exploit the potential of technology to solve business "problems" such as how to make consumers buy products, be satisfied with product quality, and be willing to come back, become loyal customers... Along with that, the FoodMap e-commerce platform will continue to increase the value of Vietnamese agricultural products by supporting output for local agricultural products, while building agricultural product brands that can "win" in the domestic market and confidently export. "We also hope that in the coming time, we will help many Vietnamese agricultural product brands have a name and a place in the world. In the next 3-5 years, international consumers will change their view of Vietnamese agricultural products. They will recognize Vietnamese agriculture as a developed industry, creating high-quality products that can serve the most demanding restaurants, hotels or supermarket chains in the world," Mr. Tung added.
In the context of countries around the world increasingly paying attention to the story of green economy and sustainable development, green standards and criteria have also been identified by the "boss" of FoodMap as the content that needs to be focused on in the long term. Currently, FoodMap is using biodegradable e-commerce packaging, although it increases costs, it will contribute to environmental protection.

Binh Minh - Vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/uoc-mo-lon-cua-mot-startup-cong-nghe-nong-nghiep-viet-2282708.html