Founded in 2015 by Karthik Jayaraman and Sanjay Dasari, WayCool is a Chennai-based food and agritech startup that has rapidly emerged as a transformative force in India’s agricultural sector.
With its mission to overhaul the traditional food supply chain, the company is solving one of the country’s most pressing challenges: bridging the gap between farmers and consumers while reducing inefficiencies and food wastage.
The Challenge: A Fragmented, Supply-Led Ecosystem
India’s agricultural supply chain has long been plagued by inefficiencies, often leading to food loss, price volatility, and uneven profits for stakeholders.
Traditionally, farmers rely on generational knowledge and local practices to determine what crops to grow.
This supply-led approach often fails to align with actual market demand, resulting in oversupply of some products and scarcity of others.
The gap between what buyers need and what is available frequently leads to significant food wastage — as high as 30% — and unstable incomes for farmers.
WayCool identified this problem and set out to reimagine the entire supply chain, transforming it from a fragmented, inefficient system to a demand-driven ecosystem.
WayCool’s Solution: A Phygital, Full-Stack Approach
WayCool addresses these challenges by creating a “phygital” business model that merges physical operations with digital technology.
Unlike traditional supply chains where only physical goods move through the system, WayCool enables the flow of information, material, and money.
At its core is an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven demand forecasting model that ensures the products grown and distributed match market needs.
The startup works with a vast network of 200,000+ farmers, offering them tools and advisory services through its dedicated “Outgrow” farmer engagement platform.
By providing data on market demand and cutting-edge agricultural practices, WayCool equips farmers with the knowledge needed to grow crops that are in line with consumer needs. This approach significantly reduces food waste and improves farmer profitability.
WayCool also operates a full-stack supply chain, managing every step from food cultivation to processing, packaging, and distribution.
Its operations span over 3,354 locations across India and the UAE, connecting 169,000+ retailers and moving over 2,000 tons of food daily.
How It Works: From Soil to Sale
The startup focuses on an end-to-end solution that connects every part of the food supply chain:
- Agri Services: With the help of agricultural experts and the Outgrow app, WayCool provides advisory services to farmers, offering solutions to optimize yield and returns.
- Product Sourcing & Distribution: WayCool sources a wide range of fresh produce, staples, dairy, and spices directly from farmers and distributes them to retailers, wholesalers, and food processors, ensuring supply is aligned with real-time market demand.
- Private Label Packaging: Offering packaging for over 350 SKUs, WayCool provides customized branding and packaging services for retailers and manufacturers, backed by its extensive sourcing and processing network.
- Technology Solutions: The company’s tech subsidiary, CENSA, offers supply chain technology solutions that streamline everything from quality management to warehouse automation. This ensures transparency, intelligence, and efficiency across the supply chain.
ESG: Sustainability at the Core
WayCool’s operations are deeply rooted in sustainability. The company’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives are not an afterthought but are woven into the fabric of their business model.
WayCool leverages its technology to reduce its carbon footprint while improving supply chain efficiency.
For instance, its innovative packaging solutions, like the carbon fiber-based ethylene adsorber, extend the shelf life of perishable foods.
Furthermore, the company’s intelligent irrigation systems help farmers conserve water and increase crop yield sustainably.
Impact and Growth
The impact of WayCool’s tech-driven, demand-led supply chain is immense. The company has reduced food wastage to less than 2%, compared to the industry average of 14-30%.
WayCool’s AI-driven procurement system boasts an 85% demand prediction accuracy, ensuring a 98% fill rate with just one day of inventory. This has led to an impressive 92% customer retention rate.
WayCool is also playing a key role in empowering farmers, giving them the tools and knowledge to grow crops that align with market demand.
This not only increases their income but also fosters long-term partnerships that benefit every player in the ecosystem.
The Road Ahead
As India’s only full-stack, tech-led supply chain player in the food and agri sector, WayCool has grown to become a leader in the space.
By flipping the food supply chain from supply-led to demand-driven, the company is solving one of India’s most persistent challenges: aligning the agricultural sector with the needs of consumers.
With ambitious plans to continue expanding its operations across India and the Middle East, WayCool is poised to redefine the future of food distribution while promoting sustainable, profitable practices for farmers and retailers alike.
