Simplifying e-commerce in the agro-industry by offering a practical sales channel for the rural producer. This is the strategy of the Naterra marketplacewww.naterra.com.br), aiming to become a reference in online sales in the sector.
The new project is an initiative by Wolf Seeds, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025 and is a leader in the hybrid brachiaria seed segment, holding a portfolio of over 50 products.
"We have been making online sales since 2017, using various marketplaces and our own e-commerce, and we have always felt the lack of a platform that is as intuitive as the major generalist marketplaces, but that meets the technical specificities of the sector regarding logistics, agrochemical regulation, and quality and provenance assurance," explains Alex Wolf, CEO of Wolf Seeds and founder of Naterra.
The newly created platform differentiates itself from existing ones in the sector by providing the buyer with information such as price, stock, shipping, and delivery time, unlike the agricultural marketplaces that generally operate with price auctions, quotation forms, and lead capture.
Graduated in International Finance and Marketing from the University of Miami Herbert Business School, with over 20 years of experience in the commercial and business sector in agriculture, Alex Wolf is well acquainted with the challenges and particularities of the industry.
One of the barriers mapped by Naterra is the conflict of sales channels in a market accustomed to working with distributors and cooperatives. Another challenge is to show industries the advantages of fractional sales.
"We have been selling online for years and know that the profile of the customer who shops online is different from those who go to the store. Those who buy in a physical store or have enough volume to negotiate prices with the distributor do not want to pay for shipping or prefer to take the product immediately," compares the founder of Naterra.
Currently, the platform's active customer base consists of 5,000 buyers, in addition to Wolf's own portfolio, with over 50,000 registered clients. Two major sellers have also joined the project.
"Our experience shows that the online customer is very different from the reseller customer. Additionally, the volume of e-commerce in agriculture, although it adds an important revenue for the industries, is still small," evaluates Alex Wolf.
The businessman also emphasizes that working primarily with direct sales made by the industry ensures another characteristic of the sector, which is to provide greater security to the supplier curation process, selecting sellers who are capable of guaranteeing provenance and complying with restrictive legislation on the commercialization of pesticides and veterinary products, including prescription requirements.
"In the case of seeds, which are living products and part of Wolf's expertise, quality in storage and validity are essential," he points out.
Thinking of ensuring the best delivery and encouraging new industries to start fractional sales, Naterra took over all logistics, utilizing Wolf's know-how.
Those who choose the platform do not pay a monthly fee or annual fee and have zero implementation cost, in addition to receiving support and consulting, mainly aimed at companies that have never worked with e-commerce. Learn more atwww.naterra.com.br.
