Madrid, October 6, 2021 – To continue its expansion while staying loyal to its social and environmental sustainability principles, CrowdFarming has welcomed new shareholders Q-Impact, Seaya Ventures and Triodos Food Transition Europe Fund.
The mission of CrowdFarming is to democratise the food supply chain by enabling direct sales from producers to consumers: ‘A growing number of consumers are seeking to buy their food directly from producers, and at the same time producers are looking for sales channels without intermediaries. It’s not a trend, it’s a much needed revolution in the world’s most inefficient supply chain. CrowdFarming is a one-stop-shop that offers farmers the tools they need to create their own direct sales channel’; explains Gonzalo Úrculo, farmer and co-founder of CrowdFarming.
Brothers Gabriel and Gonzalo Úrculo and their business partners Juliette Simonin and Moisés Calviño have turned CrowdFarming into the leading European platform for the direct sale of organic products, together with a team of over 100 people from 14 different nationalities. Today, CrowdFarming forms a community of over 200 farmers from 9 different countries.
CrowdFarming has managed to link its economic profitability with the reduction of its carbon footprint. Its economic model, deemed ‘Win-Win-Winner’, generates a positive impact for producers (Win), for consumers (Win), and for the environment (Winner).
‘CrowdFarming is a perfect example of how to align profitability and sustainability, as its social and environmental contributions become a competitive advantage that fosters growth and increases the value of the company. We are thrilled to join CrowdFarming and help the company escalate its already impressive international footprint’; states Pablo Valencia, partner at Q-Impact.
‘We are excited to invest in CrowdFarming, whose unique value proposition is accelerating the change towards a more sustainable agriculture and food consumption. This investment reinforces our thesis that we can achieve top decile returns backing sustainable tech companies with founders that share our values, looking both for prosperity and purpose’; said Carlos Fisch, Principal at Seaya.
Adam Kybird, senior investment manager at Triodos Investment Management confirms: ‘We are very pleased to join CrowdFarming on its exciting journey. The company’s focus on sustainable and responsible farming practices, fair and stable prices for farmers, and a true connection between farmers and consumers fits in seamlessly with the impact thesis of our Fund. CrowdFarming is a true European frontrunner, and we are happy to contribute to its positive impact and growth going forward’.
Investment with a purpose
‘Our new partners have shown a total alignment with our mission and respect for our values. We were already generating a positive [economic] result and we could have continued on our own. This position gave us the privilege to choose the right partners for the coming challenges.’ states Gonzalo Úrculo.
The company will use the newly received funds to facilitate the entrance of new farmers in the marketplace, improve logistics, and help more farms obtain the EU’s organic certification. During the next months CrowdFarming will create new teams of agronomic engineers in France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Netherlands and Spain to continue its multi-local expansion.
About CrowdFarming
CrowdFarming provides farmers with logistics, customer service, packaging and marketing services. The invention of an adoption system, enabling the consumer to actively contribute to sustainable farming by financing a tree and receiving the harvest in exchange, has proven a major game changer in regards to building a relationship between producer and consumer and the fight against food waste.
The company is disrupting the farmer-to-consumer industry and has become the market leader with around 200 farmers selling their products to 350.000 final consumers all over Europe.
About Q-Impact
Q-Impact is an impact investment management entity, registered in Spain under the CNMV. Its first fund, Q-Impact I, FESE invests in high growth SMEs with a positive contribution around critical social and environmental issues in Spain. Q-Impact is part of Qualitas Equity, an independent group specialized in alternative investments that align innovation, profitability and sustainability. Other vertical strategies of Qualitas Equity include Q-Energy in renewable energy infrastructure and Q-Living in affordable housing. https://qualitasequity.com/qimpact/introduccion
About Triodos Food Transition Europe Fund
Triodos Food Transition Europe Fund offers investors the opportunity to participate in the growth of the organic and sustainable food sector in Europe. The fund is managed by Triodos Investment Management. Triodos Investment Management connects a broad range of investors who want to make their money work for lasting, positive change with innovative entrepreneurs and sustainable businesses doing just that. Triodos Investment Management has built up in-depth knowledge throughout 25 years of impact investing in sectors such as Energy & Climate, Inclusive Finance and Sustainable Food & Agriculture. It also invests in listed companies that materially contribute to the transition toward a sustainable society. Assets under management as per end of June 2021: EUR 6.1 billion. www.triodos-im.com
About Seaya Ventures
Seaya Ventures is a leading European & Latin-American Venture Capital firm based in Spain, investing in value-driven founders who are building global technology companies with a sustainable approach.
Since raising its first fund in 2013, Seaya manages $350M across three early-stage funds. Seaya Ventures accelerates startup growth by working with the founders to enhance their strategic vision, putting at their disposal its global platform, its strong network of founders, investors and corporates, as well as Seaya’s experience in scaling leading companies such as Glovo, Cabify, Wallbox, Spotahome, Clarity AI, Clicars and Savana.
