COMPANY NAME: ASBEZA TECHNOLOGIES AND DELIVERY, PLC
FOUNDER: BEREKET TADESSE
INSPIRATION TO START THE BUSINESS:
Simply because it was a problem for me. Five years ago when my wife had our first child, the grocery shopping responsibility was passed on to me. As a husband, every time I came home I kept forgetting to bring a list of the grocery items needed. As times went by, I was running out of excuses, it was getting out of my control. That was when I came up with the idea of starting Asbeza. To my surprise, I came to find out that there is no other grocery delivery providing services in Addis Ababa.
BACKGROUND OF FOUNDER:
Bereket Tadesse is a 38-year-old entrepreneur, born and living in Addis Ababa, who has always been passionate about creating an online business in Addis Ababa. He received his BA degree in Software Engineering. He engaged himself in website development and graphics and developed websites for many organizations in Addis after founding an IT company called BEKI Square.
Bereket started implementing his long-time vision of the online business, with the named Asbeza, at the time it was the only and first online grocery delivery service that delivers door to door. And now, he is working hard, more than ever to take Asbeza to the next level, by widening his business, as he notices the demand is highly going up.
DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS ACTIVITIES:
Asbeza operates an online grocery delivery service in Addis Ababa from listed stores/supermarkets and soon farmer unions implementing a commission-based business model and providing local on-demand grocery delivery by connecting customers with stores.
Asbeza does not own any grocery store but created a platform for grocery retailers to sell their products. Customers can choose their favorite grocery store from the mobile app or website (asbeza.net), browse through grocery products, add quantity, and confirm the order. The stores receive the order and shop for customers ordered grocery items and asbeza drivers collect from the store to the customers’ doorstep. Customers can pay through the app and get their items without stepping out of their home, and can also pay on delivery.
Number of Staff
5 staffs – 3 full time and 2 contract.
Years in Operation
We’ve been operational for more than 2 years.
KEY CHALLENGES:
Our main challenge is the awareness of our society to use technology as a tool to simplify life and for there is no policies that works for e-commerce business so there are no related laws that govern us and the users.
SOCIAL IMPACT:
Since the world Is going the digital way. Grocery consumption is the prime human requirement; here in Addis Ababa recently so many people are fast turning to online shopping due to time constraints, traffic jams, the difficulty of finding parking space, and so on.
FUTURE EXPANSION PLANS:
Our near future plan is to collect some produces directly from farmer unions and producers, so that solves fair food prices for both farmers and consumers and avoids unwanted middlemen.
PROFIT MARGIN:
Not even at break-even point yet.
GROWTH POTENTIAL:
We are expecting this market to grow, due to the rise of a growing tech savy and middle-class segment of the population. Traffic congestion in Addis will also be a key factor in the growth of our target group.
RISKS:
The increase of food price, and fuel.
ANNUAL TURNOVER:
Over 2 million ETB
PROFIT MARGIN:
3-5%
FUNDING REQUEST:
USD $90,000