Limakilo

Limakilo operates as an online marketplace in Indonesia, focused on streamlining the agricultural supply chain. The company was founded in 2015 by Walesa Danto, Arif Setiawan, and Lisa Ayu Wulandari. The venture originated after the founders participated in and won a government-sponsored hackathon competition, Hackathon Merdeka 1.0, where they presented their concept to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

The business model is designed to shorten the food distribution chain by directly connecting farmers with both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) customers. This approach addresses the inefficiency in Indonesia's agricultural logistics, where multiple layers of middlemen can lead to price instability and reduced profits for farmers. By removing these intermediaries, Limakilo enables farmers to achieve better selling prices and provides consumers with agricultural products at prices often lower than those in traditional markets. The company's name, meaning "five kilos," reflects its initial minimum order size for commodities like shallots, chilies, sugar, and potatoes.

Initially, the platform focused on selling shallots from farmers in Brebes, Central Java, to customers in major Indonesian cities. Revenue was generated from the sale of various agricultural goods, including onions, garlic, chili, tomatoes, potatoes, and rice. The platform operated through a mobile app and a desktop site, facilitating direct purchases from its network of partner farmers. On May 24, 2016, Limakilo secured an undisclosed amount of seed funding from investors including East Ventures and Mandiri Capital Indonesia. This capital was intended to support expansion into new cities and grow its network of farmer partners.

In a significant milestone, Limakilo was acquired by Warung Pintar, a micro-retail startup, on February 27, 2019. The acquisition integrated Limakilo's network of farmers into Warung Pintar's ecosystem, allowing digitally-enabled kiosks (warungs) to sell staple food items directly sourced from these farmers. This merger provided stall owners with access to a diverse range of products like rice, cooking oil, and potatoes, while giving farmers broader market access.

Keywords: agritech, e-commerce, agricultural marketplace, farm-to-table, supply chain, Indonesia, food distribution, B2B agriculture, farmer empowerment, crop sales, online groceries, Warung Pintar, East Ventures, staple foods, direct sourcing, food logistics, agricultural technology, B2C agriculture, social enterprise, commodity trading