Interactive Grower Portal transforms inventory management, communication and logistics at Agrico

Discover the revolution in the world of Agrico and its growers with the Grower Portal: the efficient solution for clear insight and optimized inventory management, communication and logistics. Read more about the project and how we deliver a portal.

About Agrico

Agrico is a cooperative potato company that innovates the potato industry, creates, strengthens and makes potato value chains more sustainable. This brings together research, development, harvesting, storage and trade, with the aim of increasing efficiency, quality, food safety and food security. Thanks to the collaboration of hundreds of growers, they offer a range of more than 75 unique potato varieties, which perfectly meet local markets and needs.

Inefficient due to a lack of insight

As a cooperative potato company, Agrico not only distributes the potatoes, but is also happy to give advice to its growers.

Agrico feels responsible for the good growth of the growers. That's why they are also Potato Advisors (that's a nice job title). They advise growers on the correct cultivation method, harvesting methods, storage and logistics. So it's about more than just the logistics aspect of these delicious spuds. And that all sounds very nice, but there was a hurdle.

The information required for this advice took them an enormous amount of time. It became an administrative burden (a lot of Excel, a lot of calling, a lot of information and a lot of paper) for both the growers and the employees. Waste of time. And so it's high time for a nice piece of technology!

Native application for potato growers

We sat down with Agrico to discuss the specific needs. An app had to be created with the following requirements and features:

• Usable on desktop & mobile
• Available without internet connection
• Easy insight into orders, stock, cultivation planning, finances and inspections
• Easily make changes and adjust statuses (such as reporting completed orders, viewing stock data, and administratively processing loads)

With these needs in mind, it quickly became clear that a custom, native application was the best solution. A native app offers the perfect basis to start and then expand it to your specific needs. This is how the concept for the Grower Portal was born!

Data from an ERP system

To feed this application with relevant information, we have chosen a data model in which existing data is regularly updated from the ERP system. The data is only synchronized when necessary for a specific grower, giving them quick access to changed information. Thanks to the native app, we had complete control over which data the grower receives. This not only improved the performance of the app, but we also ensured that only relevant data was retrieved.

In-depth interviews for functionalities

We have determined the functionalities of the Grower Portal in close collaboration with Agrico and its growers. Through extensive interviews we gained insight into the needs, allowing our UX and UI expert to start working on the design. Below you can read more about the functionalities that make the Grower Portal so user-friendly.

Offline mobile app

There is always an up-to-date overview of stock and orders, both online and offline. Super useful if you are a grower in the field or in the shed.

New insights

Direct insight into sorting and loading orders, instead of piles of paperwork and endless telephone calls. And also new insights by adding filters.

'Login as' functionality

Agrico employees can use a 'log in as' functionality, so they can see through the eyes of the growers. This allows Agrico employees to effortlessly gain insight into matters such as stock and also easily monitor if a grower encounters problems.

Push notifications

Growers are immediately informed of changes to orders through push notifications on mobile and desktop. Very efficient!

Building portal in phases

Our priority was to provide growers with a positive experience from the start, with the aim of increasing their enthusiasm for the app. To smooth out any starting issues, we introduced the app in phases:

1. We started with a basic version of the Grower Portal, so that growers could quickly become familiar with the new platform.
2. A number of growers participated in tests, demos and improvement sessions, using a read-write version of the portal.
3. After a few weeks, groups of growers were invited to use the portal in a read-only mode.
4. After this test period of approximately three months, we opened the portal for read-write access. In other words: the growers could not only view data, but also edit, update or add it.
5. The so-called Grower Phone was created, where the Product Owner and colleagues could quickly assist the growers. This proactive contact ensured a smooth transition to using the app for everyone.