Project Grant 20224000036951

DEMAND IS INCREASING FOR LOCALLY-GROWN FOODS, BUT SMALL- AND MID-SIZE FARMS STRUGGLE TO SCALE THEIR OPERATIONS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF A HIGHLY FRAGMENTED SUPPLY CHAIN. THE APPLICATION OF ROOTED FARMERS' TECHNICAL INFRASTRUCTURE HAS DEMONSTRATED IMPROVED SCALABILITY (UP TO 250% YEAR-OVER-YEAR GROWTH IN SALES) AND CORRESPONDING ECONOMIES OF SCALE (75% REDUCTION IN ADMINISTRATIVE LABOR HOURS) AMONG SMALL- AND MID-SIZE FLORICULTURE OPERATIONS BROADLY THROUGHOUT THE US. TRANSLATING THIS TECHNOLOGY TO PRODUCE-FOCUSED AGRICULTURE OPERATIONS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO YIELD ANALOGOUS RESULTS, MEANINGFULLY INCREASING PROFITABILITY AND SCALABILITY AMONG SUCH SMALL- AND MID-SIZE FARMS, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPROVING CRITICAL QUALITY-OF-LIFE FACTORS. ROOTED'S DEMONSTRATED EFFECTIVENESS IN INCREASING SALES AND IMPROVING PROFITABILITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE ACROSS FLORICULTURE FARMS TRANSLATES TO US PRODUCE FARMERS, WHERE THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE GREAT.IN THIS PROJECT, THE ROOTED TEAM INTENDS TO BUILD OFF OF ITS SUCCESFUL FLORICULTURE PLATFORM AND EXPAND INTO PRODUCE CROPS. WE BELIEVE THAT THE SAME TECHNICAL SOLUTION THAT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY APPLIED TO FLORICULTURE CAN BROADEN ITS IMPACT BY HELPING GROWERS OF OTHER CROPS TO INCREASE PROFITABILITY AND SCALE THROUGH STREAMLINING MARKET ACCESS AND REDUCING ADMINISTRATIVE EFFORTS REQUIRED OF GROWERS. AT ITS CORE, THE ROOTED PLATFORM AGGREGATES GROWER INVENTORY AND PROVIDES MARKET ACCESS OF THAT INVENTORY TO BUYERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. TO ENSURE THAT PRODUCE FARMERS' AND BUYERS' VIEWPOINTS DRIVE THE DESIGN OF THE PLATFORM, THIS PROJECT WILL START WITH QUALITATIVE MARKET RESEARCH TO INFORM ULTIMATE SOFTWARE DESIGN. UPON MODIFICATIONS TO THE ROOTED SOFTWARE, WE WILL VALIDATE THE EFFECTIVENESS THROUGH PILOT LAUNCHES OF THE UPDATED PLATFORM (INCLUDING PRODUCE) AND CONDUCTFOLLOW-UP INTERVIEWS WITH MARKET RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS TO QUANTIFY THE SUCCESS OF THE PLATFORM ALONG KEY METRICS.