The Community Seal, a Dagda Certified Social Impact Company. “I believe in the power of collective impact — where all citizens come together to understand, invest, and collaborate to solve problems and build a stronger community. That’s why we started The Community Seal.” Leslie Hartog, Co-founder and CEO of The Read more [...]
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Fleat Network LLC
Impact Mission FLEAT® NETWORK provides an on-demand fresh-food distribution solution that uses clean and renewable energies to power networks of eco-friendly delivery vehicles over the “last mile.” The company’s patented logistics technology improves efficiencies for on-demand delivery services, providing quick access to fresh meals in the places we live, work and play. By using intelligent mobile inventory management in real-time, a considerable improvement can be achieved in the fresh-food supply chain between regional farmers, restaurants, and consumers. FLEAT’s objective is to provide a mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) solution that gives consumers easier access to meals made with the freshest possible ingredients, while allowing retailers to expand beyond the confines of brick-and-mortar. FLEAT’s intelligent mobile storefronts allow retailers to expand their geographical reach and increase their visual presence. FLEAT’s fully electric service vehicles reduce power consumption, avoid carbon emissions, and minimize food waste using real-time connectivity and machine-learned intelligence. The program allows vendors to retain more of their profits, promote brand awareness, and maintain quality control through the delivery process. This effectively provides a scalable, all-in-one hyperlocal marketing and on-demand distribution solution. As an additional benefit, the program can simplify the transportation and delivery of surplus meals that can be donated to food banks and other charitable causes. Leveraging Technology for the Fresh-Food Supply Chain Time is of the essence. This is true not only of today’s hectic consumer lifestyle, but also for the fresh-food supply chain. Fruits, vegetables and meats all start to lose their nutritional value from the moment of harvest. Traditional distribution of fresh foods from farm to table has proved to be costly, time consuming and inefficient. As a result of these inefficiencies, an unacceptable amount of fresh foods are wasted, as stakeholders have come to accept high rates of spoilage that often minimize farmer margins and drive retail prices to super premium levels. FLEAT’s patented technology combines proprietary hardware and software to provide intelligent mobile storefronts that can expedite fresh foods directly to the consumer. Each mobile storefront contains a mobile inventory comprised of not just “seasonally” available products…but daily available products, of which consumers can browse through in real-time, purchase, and have delivered to them within minutes. With less handling over distribution and transportation, and less time involved in food processing, preparation and the marketing and sales process, operators can reduce the costs of fresh foods for everyone’s benefit. And with “less time off the vine”, produce and meats will maintain a higher nutritional value that will contribute to building healthier communities. Online grocery sales in the U.S. are forecast to grow 20% annually through 2025, reaching $100 billion, and retailers must look to digital commerce and mobility solutions to open new channels for future growth. However, delivery of fresh items remains a common and consistent pain point. Third-party delivery services such as Instacart, Shipt, Grubhub, and UberEats often come at significant cost to both retailers and consumers, and offer little to support a retailer’s brand nor reflect their commitment to product quality and sustainability. Operational Advantages With the issuance of U.S. Patent 9,741,011 in August 2017 and a strategic alliance with California-based Chanje Energy, FLEAT NETWORK has a firm grasp on the future for intelligent delivery of fresh food and groceries using eco-friendly mobile storefronts, powered by autonomous technologies and self-learning analytics. FLEAT’s operational advantages are numerous: Electric-drive mobile storefronts produce no emissions and harness renewable energy to provide a significant cost savings over fossil-fueled vehicles. Read more [...]