Our Story

Everyone loves fresh green vegetables. To preserve the freshness we keep them in our refrigerator. But what about the freshness it loses by the time it reaches the market from the farm? 

India, being the second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world and a developing country, the need for nourishment is more than ever. Still, our country wastes Rs 13000 crore of fruits and vegetables every year. Every vegetable and fruit unless refrigerated loses its freshness 20 times faster. And it normally takes between 3 to 4 days for a vegetable to reach a local market from the farm travelling between cities, states and mandis. Even for locally produced vegetables, it takes up to 36 hours to reach the consumer. So technically what looks fresh to the eyes has lost most of its nutrition.
 
The smallholding farmers are the ones who suffer the maximum losses. The farmers, due to lack of infrastructure could not preserve their produce and are forced to sell them cheaply. Hence, in the absence of buyers often farmers end up throwing away their harvest to save on transportation costs. And in this way, India loses millions of tons of vegetables in form of post-harvest losses. On the other hand, a consumer also compromises the quality and freshness of vegetables.
 
Alumnus of NIT Rourkela has come up with a unique solution under the banner “Koel Fresh”. After thorough research of the supply chain system, understanding the need of consumers and farmers and with the help of advanced food processing technology “Koel Fresh” stands up to supply fresh and pure vegetables direct from the farm at the doorstep

Process

Firstly, We abridge the demand-supply gap. On a web cum android-based application, the consumers place their order and on the basis of the orders, the farmers harvest their produce. So as the farmers get to know the actual demand beforehand the losses are minimized.

Secondly, the vegetables are transported in a refrigerated van direct from the farm to the warehouse. This ensures the veggies remain fresh during transportation.

In the third phase, the veggies undergo a three-stage washing process to remove the tresses of chemical pesticides yet retain their purity and nutritional value.

In the Fourth phase, The veggies are sorted according to quality, packed, and placed inside a refrigerated van to get ready for delivery.

Technological Intervention

The vegetables after harvest are stored and transported in a refrigerated van which maintains the temperature and humidity. The temperature is maintained by using a PCM material which is cooled using solar energy.

Phase-change material (PCMs) offers an alternate solution for energy storage. These are materials that absorb and release thermal energy during the process of melting and freezing. PCMs are used to store energy, to use later.