Distribution,
Packaging, and
Transportation
Martin Njoroge
Objective
Building Organic
Expected Learning Outcomes
The Learner should be able to;
1. Explain the operation of food systems and supply chains, including actors and external forces
influencing distribution.
2. Promote shorter supply chains, such as direct sales, to optimize profitability and reduce potential
losses.
3. Design attractive, market-ready packaging that aligns with consumer expectations and advantages
of collective marketing (e.g., cooperatives) over individual sales.
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Logistics and Supply Chain
Management
• Who are the main actors in a supply chain?
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Role Play Exercise
• You are in a tomato value chain at peak harvest.
Your goal is to negotiate transport and sale terms
under real-world constraints.
• Round 1: Initial Negotiation
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Role Play Exercise
• You are in a tomato value chain at peak harvest.
Things have changed, how would you respond?
• Round 2: Re-negotiation
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Product development-
Branding and packaging
Debrief & Discussion
• Stakeholder Perspectives -
What were your priorities? How did your objectives conflict or align with others’?
• External Forces
How did the challenge cards reflect real-world risks? Which actor had to bear the biggest impact?
Why?
• Collective Action
How might forming a cooperative or group purchasing arrangement help spread risk ?
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What is a Product?
In marketing, a product is more than just a physical item or
service—it’s a bundle of benefits offered to satisfy a
customer’s needs or wants. It can be defined at three
levels:
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1.Core
Product
The
fundamental
benefit or
solution that
the customer
is really
buying.
Example: With mango juice, the
core benefit is “refreshment” or
“nutrition.”
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2. Actual
Product
The tangible
attributes and
features that
deliver the
core benefit.
Brand name (Kilimohai Organic), quality (100% organic
mangoes), packaging (250 ml glass bottle), design, label.
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3. Augmented
Product
All the additional
services and
benefits that
surround the
actual product—
after-sales service,
warranties,
delivery, credit,
installation,
customer support.
Recipe cards included in the bottle neck tag, “farm-to-table” story on
the label, loyalty discounts, home delivery options.
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Branding
• What do you • What does
say about your your product
product? say about you?
High Organi Do the two
quality match? Quality?
c
Premiu
Affordablem Seasonal?
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5Ps of Marketing
• Product
• Packagin
g
• Price
• Place
• Promotio
n
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Designing a good label
• Key Elements
• Visual Principles
• Production Tips
• Choose based on scale and environmental
exposure.
• Waterproof paper or laminated film for durability.
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Activity
• What do your consumers expect?
• How can you package your products to meet these
expectations?
• How can you maintain quality and shelf stability?
• What are successful cases of organic enterprises
(farms, retailers etc) ?
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Let’s pick on of our products and provide
feedback
Experiences with packaging
• What product do we produce?
• Where are we selling the produce?
• How do we get it to the market?
• How do we protect it from damage and spoilage?
• Where do we get our packaging materials?
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Market and marketing
Strategies
Markets?
• A market is any place or venue where buyers and sellers
can exchange goods and services. A market may be
physical, like a retail outlet, or virtual, like an online shop
with no physical contact between buyers and sellers.
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Market channels
• List the marketing channels that you use.
• Provide tips on how best to service these market
Traditional Modern Direct-to-Consumer
Channels Retail & (D2C) & Digital
Institutions
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Social Media Marketing
• Platform Strategies
•Facebook & Instagram:
Use vibrant photos, reels
showcasing harvest, and
behind-the-scenes.
•YouTube Shorts or TikTok:
Quick tutorials on cooking
with your produce.
•Twitter/X: Join farming and
food hashtags; share quick
tips.
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Social Media Marketing
• Content Tips
•Local Language: Mix English with Kamba, Kikuyu,
Kiswahili, Luhya, Luo, or other regional dialects to resonate.
•Stories over Sales: Highlight farmer’s morning routine or a
family recipe.
•Engagement: Ask questions (e.g., “Which vegetable should
we harvest next?”).
•User-Generated Content: Encourage customers to share
their recipes and tag your brand.
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Social Media Marketing
• Posting Cadence
•Daily: WhatsApp status, Instagram stories.
•Weekly: Facebook posts, product reels.
•Monthly: Blog updates on website or longer-form videos.
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Identifying a Good Customer
• What are the qualities of a good customer?
• How are we building customer bases?
Assessing Fit:
1. Volume Needs: Can you meet their quantity and consistency?
2. Payment Terms: Upfront, cash-on-delivery, or 30-day credit?
3. Logistics Capability: Proximity and delivery schedule
compatibility.
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List of Applicable Markets
• Where are we selling currently?
Current retail buyers of organic
products
1. Sylvia’s basket
2. Fine Aromas of Kenya
3. Greenspoon
4. The Cornershop
5. Fresh and Juicy
6. Farm Fresh
7. Marikiti
8. City market
9. ???
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Territorial Markets
• Territorial markets are localized, community-embedded
systems that connect smallholder farmers directly to
consumers, fostering economic resilience, cultural
exchange, and access to fresh, organic produce. This guide
outlines steps to form territorial markets, logistics for setup,
identity-building strategies. E.g.
– Gatanga Organic Farmers Market
– Kangari Organic Farmers Market
– Kikuyu Organic Farmers Market
– Karen Farmers Market
– Rosslyn Drive Farmers Market
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Benefits of a Territorial Market
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How to set up a territorial market
1. Community Mobilization & Needs
Assessment
2. Secure Partnerships & Infrastructure
3. Design Market Logistics
4. Launch and grow
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Crafting a Market Identity
• Regional Heritage
• Storytelling
• Visual Branding
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Key Lessons Learnt in establishing
territorial markets
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Stakeholders in a
Market System
What is a stakeholder?
• Anyone with a vested interest in a particular
outcome
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Stakeholders in a market system
• List the stakeholders in a market system
• Are they direct or indirect actors?
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What is a Food System?
• All the elements (environment, people, inputs,
processes, infrastructures, institutions, etc.) and
activities that relate to the production, processing,
distribution, preparation and consumption of food,
and the outcomes of these activities, including
socio-economic and environmental outcomes.
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Food System Vs Value Chain
• How does a food system differ from a value chain?
• Additional elements in a food system?
1. Food System
Activities
2. Food system outcomes
3. Environmental drivers of the food system
4. Socio-economic drivers of the food
system
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Food System Activities
• Consists of five components:
1. The Food Supply System (the value chain),
2. The Enabling Environment,
3. Business services,
4. The Food Environment and
5. Consumer characteristics.
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Food System Outcomes
We distinguish three types of food system outcomes:
1. Socio-economic,
2. Environmental, and
3. Outcomes relating to food security.
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Environmental Drivers
• These consist of five interacting components :
1. The availability of land for agriculture and livestock
farming, and related to this, the quality of soils.
2. The use of fossil fuels in agricultural machinery and
equipment, refrigeration, storage, processing and
transport of food.
3. The use of minerals/microminerals, such as NPK and
lime, to enrich soils and various metals such as steel, tin
and bauxite for the manufacture of packaging,
infrastructure and cookware.
4. Biodiversity
5. Water, as an important source of life.
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Socio-economic drivers of the food
system
1. Markets:
2. Policy:
3. Science & Technology:
4. Social organisations:
5. Individual factors:
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Applications ?
• How does the food systems approach help us?
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