Cape Town-based Food Delivery Service Yebo Fresh’s Bumper Round Will Enable It “Start A Food Revolution”
Yebo Fresh, a Cape Town-based online shopping service, has raised an unspecified amount of investment to expand operations. The startup confirms to WeeTracker that the “huge” funding was made possible by a team of investors – E4EAfrica.com, WooThemes co-founder Mark Forrester and Neil Watson, former CEO of Digital Planet.
Accessing An Untapped Market
Grocery delivery startups are on the rise in Africa. In South Africa, the sector is still nascent and untapped, even with the emergence of a league of startups in the space. The revolution is being prompted by the development of e-commerce in the continent.
In an exclusive interview with WeeTracker, CEO and founder of Yebo Fresh, Jessica Boostra, says that tech revolution tends to hit the happy few first. After launching is a handful of areas in the Southern African country last September, the startup wants to take its services to other parts of the nation, bolstering ecommerce. Like NYSE-listed Jumia, Yebo is saving customers time, money and stress by delivering items straight to their doorsteps.
“If done correctly, it can be more efficient, more affordable and more accessible with fresher products and lower waste than a traditional store. We would love to start a ‘food revolution’ in South Africa’s townships!”.
In August, Cairo-based grocery delivery startup Trolley received USD 200 K in seed funding to scale its operations. This alongside other related funding deals in Africa prove the growth of online shopping culture in the continent. The sector, per an UNCTAD report, is dominated by Mauritius, followed by Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia.
Yebo Fresh & ‘The Power Of Online Shopping’
According to her, the fresh investment will enable the startup to expand its infrastructure. The business is looking to engage more community hotspots and health groups across South Africa and the rest of the continent.
The South African startup also wants to educate customers on ‘the power of online shopping’. Jessica said: “We want to build the tech and hire the talent to make our ambitions a reality”.
With new investors on board, Yebo Fresh will be able to tap into a wealth of entrepreneurial, technical and commercial experience. “Even more importantly, the investors share the team’s passion to make a positive impact on South Africans’ quality of life through business and technology,” the company says.
Yebo Fresh was founded in 2018 by Boonstra, who is also a co-founder at safety app Buzzer and Alchemize Consulting. It leverages technology, innovative processes and partnerships to make shopping for food easier and more secure for its customers.
