WhatsApp and Facebook now used as food sales hub

WhatsApp and Facebook have expanded to become platforms to sell things on, with food and home industries becoming the latest growing trend.

With the rising food prices, the prominence of WhatsApp and Facebook food trading groups offers an alternative to store-bought staples, with a focus on fresh, sustainable and locally produced quality foods.

A number of WhatsApp and Facebook food groups have emerged offering a variety of wares, from fresh produce to homemade delicacies, that can be ordered and fetched from central meeting points or delivered.

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In some cases, the groups opt for weekly meetings to collect and pay for the items ordered, further bringing a social element into the mundane task of grocery shopping.

The PMB Barter Group, is one such group. It meets once a month on a Saturday.

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“We usually meet at Wiley Park or at a member’s house who has volunteered to host us,” said a member of the WhatsApp group.

Hornby said the group mainly focuses on a bartering system.

Most of the transactions involve battering, but we do allow for some buying with money if people do not have anything to trade with.
Hornby explained trading begins a week before.

People share on the WhatsApp group what they have to trade.
So, I may have feta cheese and I may trade that for lemon curd or plants and flowers.
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Hornby said the PMB Barter Group is just one of many others that service other areas using the same concept.

There are groups in Howick and Merrivale, but the one in Hilton has collapsed.
The group has a variety of goods that are traded.

I offer homemade feta cheese, yogurt, cream cheese and free-range chicken liver pate, depending on what I have. Other people offer citrus curd, ginger beer, pretzels, crunchies, marmalade, jams, stewed fruit, fresh flowers, plants, and seedlings. It depends on what people have at home and in their gardens.
She added that the prices of goods are self-determined.

Each person tries to value their goods in their own way. Some of us peg our value to supermarket prices. But really, the value is pegged by how much one wants the trade. I personally love the lemon curd and the ginger beer so I regularly trade feta for those two items. But I’ve no idea what they might be worth at the supermarket. They’re just worth the feta trade for me. Other members are clearer about the monetary value of their offerings, because some people also sell those same goods in other markets.
Besides the bartering system, there are other ways groups like this work. The Reko group is a trading group that supplies a wide variety of goods to thousands of consumers.

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Kaitlynn Kauerauf, a member and founder of the Reko project and Bramleigh Farm, which is a key contributor to the project, said that the Reko movement is internationally recognised.

Reko is a Finnish trading movement that has grown around the world. It is a network created between producers and consumers for the direct sale of locally-produced organic, ethically produced food, in support of small-scale farmers.
Kauerauf added that an online presence was key to the project.

“Originally, Reko was based on Facebook, where marketing could reach a large audience at a low cost, but now, we have expanded to a WhatsApp-based offering. Each week, producers post their available produce on the Facebook or WhatsApp group, where customers simply have to comment to place an order. Each producer is responsible for receiving, collating and delivering for their own orders, and taking payment.”

Once a week, producers gather at a designated time and place for customers to come and collect their orders. Orders have to be delivered by a farm representative, if not the farmers each week.
She added that farmers were responsible for their own product and the direct relationship between consumer and producer created accountability for product quality.

Customers have access to locally produced, clean food products. If you meet the farmer who actually produced your food, you can know the full story behind your food. By not allowing resale, customers are only paying for the product that they purchase, not the hidden commissions, rentals and transport costs.
This system cuts out the costs for producers and the consumer does not have to pay extra to accommodate the extra fees.

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Reko has three networks in the region, Reko Notties, Reko Howick and Reko Hilton.

Reko differs from a regular supermarket in that produce is all local, organic, and ethical from small-scale farmers. All the items are pre-ordered, so producers only need to transport produce that has been ordered. A network of producers means compelling offerings for customers, where they can buy a large selection of groceries.
The three Reko branches in the area service around 6 000 people. Visit the Facebook for each of the three regions to join.