RO digital peasant cooperative Obor21 sees EUR 100,000 turnover in first year on the market

Obor21, the first digital peasant cooperative in Romania, launched in February 2020 just before the onset of the pandemic crisis, registered a turnover of EUR 100,000 in its first year on the market.

Obor21 offers access to natural, unprocessed products based on a new concept on the local market - meatbooking - reservation before slaughter.

The Romanians’ increased interest in online shopping in 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the higher interest for fresh, unprocessed products were the main growth engines for Obor21.ro.

The dynamics of sales was also determined by a constant increase in the number of customers and, simultaneously, in the value of their orders, which reached an average of RON 230 per customer.

The digital cooperative also said that customers recommended Obor21 to other people, and this also contributed to its success in 2020. “1 customer out of 6 recommended Obor21 after the first order or returned to the online shop,” the company said.

The average basket value increased by 20% during the holidays, in April and December, respectively. On average, a customer adds five products to the shopping basket (3-6 kg), the most popular products being veal, mutton, and goat meat.

Also, to make sure that more than 98% of the meat is distributed after slaughter, the founders of Obor21 have developed partnerships in the HoReCa industry. Thus, monthly, a percentage of 30-40% of customers are from the B2B area - traditional restaurants and groceries -, the percentage varying depending on B2C orders.

For 2021, the founders of Obor21 aim at expanding the delivery area outside the Bucharest-Ilfov area and, to the extent of logistical possibilities, diversifying the portfolio to new product categories, such as dairy products, vegetables, and fruits.

Iunia and Florian Mateita launched Obor21 after an initial investment of more than EUR 80,000. The meat reserved through Obor21.ro comes mostly from the peasant households from Botosani and Suceava counties.

(Photo source: the company)