Farm Link Hawaii Taps Farmstead’s Grocery OS Software
Online grocer Farm Link Hawaii, whose mission is to increase access to fresh, high-quality, local food for Hawaii consumers of all income levels, including those using SNAP-EBT and Double Up Food Bucks, has adopted Farmstead’s Grocery OS, a proprietary technology stack that helps grocers automate key parts of their operations, among them procurement, picking and packing, delivery route optimization, and the customer ordering process. The solution enables them to drive profitable online orders and compete against major e-commerce players.
“Farm Link Hawaii delivers some of the best, locally sourced products Hawaii has to offer,” noted Farmstead co-founder and CEO Pradeep Elankumaran. “Building systems to create the kind of smooth, efficient and frictionless operations necessary to make sure customers have a great experience is tricky, and Grocery OS can help. Farm Link Hawaii is providing the kind of shopping experience Americans are craving — fresh, local produce delivered to their doorsteps. This is in stark contrast to the standardized nonlocal supply chains and generic, expensive online grocery options that retailers currently offer.”
The first of its kind in the grocery industry, Grocery OS provides technology modules that grocers can quickly deploy to boost margins and customer service, rather than trying to build the technology themselves or continuing to use the mostly manual processes they implemented earlier in the pandemic.
Grocery OS’ modules are as follows:
- Order intake and single order of record for a grocer’s branded site and mobile app, as well as its third-party marketplace partners.
- Inventory operations and management, including machine-learning-powered food waste controls, automated procurement, and receiving and quality assurance tools.
- A picking and packing solution, including an optimized picking sequence and custom tools for pickers.
- An order-batching and delivery routing solution, including driver app for directed driver experience.
- A customer-facing experience via a white-labeled customer app and website with the grocer’s branding.
“By migrating to Grocery OS, Farm Link Hawaii will be able to offer its customers unparalleled convenience of same-day delivery with an even larger product selection from over 150 of Hawaii's finest farmers, ranchers and food makers,” said Rob Barreca, CEO of Honolulu-based Farm Link Hawaii. “With our 20 years of experience in software, product design and farming, Farm Link Hawaii will work closely with the Grocery OS team to ensure the unique logistical and supplier challenges experienced in Hawaii are overcome.”
Burlingame, Calif.-based Farmstead uses artificial intelligence technology in its efforts to significantly reduce food waste and make high-quality, locally sourced food accessible to everyone, as well as offering Grocery OS to other food retailers. As an e-grocer, Farmstead currently operates in five markets: the San Francisco Bay Area; Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Miami, with plans to expand further.
