“As quick commerce scales, there is a serious opportunity in logistics to build a ‘Delhivery for fruits and vegetables (FnV)’,” Palicha noted.
He claimed that Zepto currently operates one of India’s largest direct-to-farm FnV supply chains, processing over 20 lakh units every day and “growing quickly.”
The FnV space
Palicha wrote, “As we go deeper into the value chain, we are noticing serious gaps in our nation’s fresh/cold supply chain infrastructure.”
He went on to highlight the gaps: “Everything from ripening chambers to packaging automation to ensure quantity accuracy to excellence in collection centre network design to maximise sourcing alpha.”
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Palicha added that building this infrastructure requires a willingness to invest in capital expenditure, but more importantly, “deep deep deep execution and tech capability building.”He concluded by welcoming companies and talented individuals passionate about the space and shared contact details for those interested in joining the effort.
Also Read: Zepto weighs Indian AIF, founder buyback to up local ownership
Zepto vs Zomato
Earlier this month, Palicha took to LinkedIn to challenge “inaccurate” statements made by Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal to ET about the quick commerce platform’s cash burn, describing the remarks as “verifiably untrue.”
During the interview, Goyal had said, “We think the total burn for all companies in quick commerce is around Rs 5,000 crore per quarter, conservatively speaking. Substantially more than half of this is by Zepto…compared to this, we’re burning very low numbers.”
Also Read: Quick commerce sector burning Rs 5,000 crore per quarter: Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal
Palicha argued that the claim about Zepto could be disproven once the company files its financial documents.
Zepto is gearing up for an IPO and aims to file its draft documents by March or April this year. As part of its preparations, the company completed a reverse merger from Singapore to India in January. Furthermore, Zepto is considering raising the size of its IPO to between $800 million and $1 billion, which would include secondary share sales.
