Kecipir is an app operating in the Indonesian market that connects fruit and vegetable farmers directly with urban consumers via a plastic-free, circular delivery system.
Kecipir customers can access a food webstore via the app to order and pay for their fresh food products. Farmers then harvest the produce, while Kecipir takes care of the packaging, sorting and distribution.
To register as a Kecipir farmer, there are certain ‘duties’ that need to be fulfilled, including implementing an organic farming system, meeting the quality and quantity of the order and a commitment to applying the principles of zero waste packaging.
Currently, Kecipir works with more than 50 farmers and makes over 2,000 deliveries per month in the Greater Jakarta area. Fresh products travel no more than 60 km and delivery time is less than 24 hours, thus avoiding the need for refrigeration.
Kecipir is currently also increasing its range of circular products and features. It recently launched a new refill category for staple products, such as rice and cooking oil, reducing single use packaging. Customers can also exchange their used cooking oil for shopping vouchers, reducing waste from kitchens.
Why it is circular
According to Dutch innovation company Enviu, in Java alone, 80% of fruits and vegetables are placed in styrofoam trays and/or wrapped in single-use plastic. The only destination for this packaging is incineration or the waste pile, as it has no value in the informal recycling system after first use.
Since 2016, through the Kecipir circular business model, 1.5 tonnes of single-use packaging has been eliminated through the use of reusable packaging. Furthermore, about 300 tonnes of food waste has been avoided due to shorter times from harvest to delivery and fewer stages in the supply chain.
The benefits
Farmers, customers and the environment all benefit from Kecipir’s circular grocery business model:
Farmers can realise a 40% increase in profit due to a fair and direct market
Customers get better and fresher produce and pay less for organic produce than they would in the supermarket
Plastic waste is eliminated and carbon emissions associated with food waste are avoided.
“[With Kecipir] we are taught how to be eco-friendly by using less plastic. Partnership with Kecipir is beneficial because we get better income, our harvest produce gets absorbed by the market and the collaboration is transparent and fair.”
- Johan Susilo, Pangrango Valley Farm
Published December 2021.
Further info
Upstream innovation guide
Kecipir website
Ocean Plastic Innovation challenge prize 2019
