Romanian meat-booking platform Obor21, Euro 100,000 in 1st year

Launched before the pandemic started, the first digital farm cooperative in Romania offers access to natural, unprocessed process, promoting a new concept on the local market: meat reservation before animal´s sacrifice. The unique business model appeared in a favorable context for the online market and generated Euro 100,000 in sales, 10 months after launch.

The online commerce grew in an accelerated rhythm in 2020, as Romanians sought to buy online a larger range of products, especially essential ones. Market’s evolution also showed an increased interest towards fresh produce, with clear traceability and as little processed as possible. Those were the main growth engines for Obor21.ro, first digital farmers’ coop in Romania.

Sales dynamics was boosted by the increased growth when it comes of the number of clients and, in the same time, by the increase of the order values (on average about 50 euro /client).

From data gathered during the first months of activity, Obor21´s client is aged 25-44 y.o., with higher then average income, adept of a healthy lifestyle, with passion for cooking and eager to try new flavors. In the same time, they are preoccupied by a responsible lifestyle, which involves planning the distribution of bought food and make acquisitions accordingly. 54% of the clients are women.

Obor21.ro is a digital link between farms and cities, offering access to quality meat, offering to farmers a market and fiscalized income. Obor21 is environment aware so booking the meat before sacrificing the animals is both a guarantee for freshness and a solution for responsible and sustainable consumption, without unjustified losses (…), as Florian Mateiță, co-founder Obor21, explained.

Obor21’s success was also insured by the acquisition of new clients via recommendations. 1 out of 6 clients recommended and / or returned on the platform after the first order. The value of the medium basket increased by 20% around holidays, in April and December. On average, an order consists in 3-6 kg meat, mainly beef – 70%, followed by goat and sheep meat – 10%, with the rest of orders being specialties.

Also, to insure a 98% distribution of the meet, Obor21 founders forged partnerships with Horeca actors. Therefor, on monthly basis, 30-40% of clients are B2B, depending on how many B2C orders are available.

For 2021, Obor21’s founders aim to expand the delivery zone outside Bucharest – Ilfov area and, depending on logistics, to diversify the portfolio with new categories of products which would support the concept of digital farmers cooperative. The future categories might include dairy products, fruit and vegetables.

Florian Mateita

We explore the possibility to expand towards other areas in the country but, for us, it is important to remain faithful to Obor21 concept and to insure the traceability of the product. Thee perspectives are encouraging, especially considering the change in the habits clients have, seeing they remained oriented towards the comfort of the online orders even after the restrictions were lifted

Obor21.ro was launched in February 2020 by Iunia and Florian Mateita, with an initial investment of over Euro 80,000.

The meat booked through the platform comes mainly from farms in Botosani and Suceava counties. The deliveries are made to final consumers exclusively through couriers, in control temperature conditions, in top 72 hours since the animals were sacrificed and accompanied by a quality certificate.

Each label includes detailed info about the provenience of the products, including the packing date and expiring date. Meet processing, including its packaging, is done in an EU authorized slaughterhouse and the entire circuit, until it reaches the client door, is fiscalized and conceived to abide sanitary-veterinary regulations .