Looking to get quality home-produced food delivered to your door in Croatia? Meet Finoteka.
Just as digital technology is changing the way in almost everything that we do, the biggest changes are coming to the most traditional of all – agriculture.
Farmers (herders, fruit/vegetable growers and other) rely on modern innovation to enhance and simplify their daily work, with cheaper processes and finally higher quality of products.
Some of them, such as Hrvoje Kolman, have found the way in the digital world to further expand the business. He started Finoteka Internet portal, through which sells not only its own but also fresh products OPG’s and farms across the country.
Five employees are working on maintenance and administration portal, which soon became inevitable stop for all lovers of healthy and guaranteed local food. A key is safe and reliable internet not just for customers but also for farmers too, so they are able to get/provide what they need at all times.
“Today technology is the foundation of my work. I as a smaller manufacturer rely the most in an automated irrigation system, and colleagues who are major manufacturers even in systems such as automatic milking cows, the countless applications that monitor agricultural production, livestock, machinery, smart sensors that monitor everything, from temperature and humidity to the percentage of nitrogen in the soil …” – says Kolman.
“Initially the Finoteka.com was rudimentary portal, where it was necessary to call the desired manufacturers in order to confirm requested products. Unfortunately this often led to the cancellation of the entire concept. That’s when we first create a new system of orders directly from the farmers, the first such in Croatia, place where the buyer and manufacturer can meet.
We have a contract with the suppliers company GLS for all of OPG’s in Croatia, so everybody can send packets and they come in within 24 hours anywhere in Croatia. We closed the whole circle; we receive orders, forward them to manufacturers, supplier then picks them up and delivers it to the customers doorstep. As soon as we get a new product, all customers automatically gets notification by e-mail” – Hrvoje Kolman adds.
A Farmer and Internet entrepreneur from Medjimurje, emphasizes that they GLS’s online system is extremely easy and fast. This system enabled them to dramatically shorten the handover/ delivery of the food. Legally a warehouse to store the goods is a must, but because of a well-tuned system they hardly ever have the use for it as products usually goes straight from fields to the table.
Everything is paid on delivery, delivery (up to 40 kilograms of products) cost 27 kuna.
“Paying is in cash only, nothing in advance, because we want people to see the food first, to avoid any disappointment later on. Furthermore, we have a “just in time” system, in order to avoid unnecessary storage of goods: the customer can order with us a little of everything, a little pasta, a little asparagus, blueberry, honey, potatoes and all will get in one package witch needs one payment.”
It is interesting that the number of customers, from Dubrovnik area ordered mandarins over Finoteka, and this fruit comes from the Neretva valley to Medjimurje and then back, all within 24 hours. For more information, visit www.finoteka.com
