WATCH: Fresh food township delivery service is booming

Published Aug 19, 2020

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CAPE TOWN –

Township food delivery service Yebo Fresh has expanded rapidly as the demand for delivery services increased since the start of the national lockdown.

The online shopping service was founded in 2018 by Jessica Boonstra who saw the need as the areas generally unserved by most formal retailers.

“I felt that the areas in South Africa which would benefit the most from an online shopping transformation would be townships, which are still largely underserved by big retailers,” said Boonstra.

“People living in townships often lose hours of their day, most relying on overcrowded public transport to go to a supermarket.

“The townships represent at least 40% of the national grocery market, with great entrepreneurship and beautifully creative solutions, such as conducting a wide range of activities via Whatsapp.

“We believe in providing people with good access to good food, and your location shouldn’t have an impact on that,” she said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=29&v=uqOnC_IB_fs&feature=emb_title

Yebo Fresh allows for households to order goods using Whatsapp or with a call-back feature over the phone.

They deliver fresh fruit, meat, fish, poultry and general groceries in Imizamo Yethu, Hangberg, Langa, Gugulethu, Delft and Mitchells Plain.

“We have created at least 50 new jobs for people living in the townships that we serve - packers, drivers, team leaders, sales staff, and administration,” said Boonstra.

“Business has boomed significantly, and now we manage thousands of orders every single day. We went from having one to two, and then three warehouses, before moving into one large space - a 2,400 square metre warehouse - where everything now takes place,” she says.

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