In Hong Kong, commercial fresh food procurement has been following a largely conventional model for decades: restaurants place daily/weekly phone orders with their suppliers and await the delivery. Industry players – from commercial or independent suppliers to restaurant operators and chefs – are fragmented and hierarchical, and the communication and procurement process continues to be inefficient.

Now, Cyberport Creative Micro Fund grantee Tickfresh is attempting to give this model a tech overhaul. It is developing an e-marketplace that connects buyers and sellers of fresh food supplies with a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solution. Tickfresh consolidates the ordering, fulfilment, logistics, and payment process by leveraging data and cutting-edge technologies as well as web portal and mobile apps.

Benefits and possibilities of this model abound. Round-the-clock procurement, big data analytics (including spending, inventory and wastage), food and supplier search for inspiration, delivery scheduling and tracking, e-payment and trade credits, even group-buying for lower wholesale prices are all waiting to be explored.

All of this means that both existing and incoming players can enjoy greater convenience and choices in terms of fresh food. In addition, the entire supply chain can significantly benefit from greater operational efficiency and cash flow.

Recently, the start-up launched a prototype and is inviting alpha users to conduct internal beta testing on both the frontend and backend systems. Additionally, it is reaching out to fresh food suppliers, F&B merchants, and catering service providers to promote its services, educate the players about the wide-ranging benefits of digital transformation, and gather feedback.