WayCool moves into Africa with YoLa Fresh alliance

YoLa Fresh, a Moroccan agribusiness marketplace, has partnered with CensaNext, a technology subsidiary of WayCool Foods, to bring the Indian company’s cutting-edge technology and expertise to the African market.

WayCool said the strategic alliance will help YoLa Fresh optimise its supply chain, boost operational efficiency, and minimise waste, and further propelling its mission to become Africa’s largest fresh produce supply chain.

CensaNext, a subsidiary of WayCool, develops and implements advanced technologies for the agribusiness sector. WayCool has established itself as a leader in this space in India, scaling and transforming food supply chain from soil to sale, working with over 150,000 farmers and serving over 100,000 clients.

The African fresh produce market is expected to reach US$1 trillion by 2030. WayCool believes YoLa Fresh is well-positioned to capitalise on this growth with its strong team, unique value proposition, and innovative technology.

“YoLa Fresh has been making significant strides in transforming the African agribusiness sector, leveraging technology and data to organise the agriculture commerce ecosystem,” WayCool said.

“Its technology and Africa-centric solutions are disrupting the way fruits and vegetables move from farms to consumers’ plates, empowering farmers and other players in the ecosystem in ways never done before.

CensaNext recently completed a US$117m Series D funding round, led by investors such as LightRock, LightBox, Lightsmith, Redwood Equity Partners, Gawa Capital, the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation, and Dutch development bank FMO.

YoLa Fresh and WayCool hailed the deal as a significant milestone, bringing together two companies with a shared vision of transforming the agribusiness landscape.

“We are excited to partner with CensaNext and bring their innovative technology to the African market,” said Larbi Alaoui Belrhiti, YoLa Fresh founder and co-CEO. “This partnership will help us to further optimise our supply chain and deliver the freshest produce to our customers in a more efficient and sustainable way.”

CensaNext CEO Avinash Kasinathan commented: “We are delighted to partner with YoLa Fresh and support their mission to create Africa’s largest fresh produce supply chain. Our technology is well-suited to help YoLa Fresh address the unique challenges of the African market.

“Our tech being developed by practitioners, is well seasoned in addressing inefficiencies and has built-in nuances that solves for challenges of fragmented food supply chains. We look forward to contributing in transforming the African food economy”.

Sanjay Dasari, co-founder, WayCool Foods said: “We view our strategic alliance with YoLa Fresh as a crucial milestone in reshaping the African food ecosystem. WayCool’s practitioner built tech stack for food and agri space continues to deliver sizeable impact in India and is ready for the world.

“By integrating our cutting-edge technology and learnings, we aim to optimise YoLa Fresh’s supply chain, enhancing operational efficiency, and minimising food waste. This collaboration underscores our commitment to advancing a more sustainable and efficient food value chain across the globe, aligning seamlessly with our overarching vision of powering 1 per cent of the world’s food.”