Toolbox of apps for marketing agrobiodiversity

Digital tools and practical approaches to make diverse crops easier to discover, sell, source and distribute.

How can farmers, food businesses, retailers and foodservice professionals bring neglected and underutilised crops (NUCs) to more people ? This toolbox brings together tools developed or tested by DIVINFOOD partners (Open Food Network France, mPmC, Open Food Facts) and a selection of existing solutions supporting :

1. Information and consumer engagement

Open Food Facts (International) — Target: Consumers, citizens
Slow Food Around You (Italy) — Target: Consumers, citizens, tourists, local producers

2. Online sales and professional sourcing

Open Food Network (International) — Target: Farmers, food hubs, cooperatives, retailers, consumers
Mes Producteurs, mes Cuisiniers – mPmC (France) — Target: Farmers, processors, chefs, restaurants, retailers
Shopify (International) — Target: Businesses, farmers, food producers, SMEs, retailers
Cagette.net (France, Belgium, Switzerland) — Target: Producer groups, cooperatives, food hubs, local food initiatives
Cortilia (Italy) — Target: Consumers, farmers, artisanal food producers
Mangia Locale (Italy) — Target: Farmers, artisanal food producers, consumers, local food communities
Socleo (France) — Target: Farmers, processors, producer groups, distributors, consumers
local.bio (France) — Target: Organic producers, consumers, citizens, employers
Pourdebon (France) — Target: Farmers, artisanal food producers, consumers
PROVE (Portugal) — Target: Small-scale farmers, consumers
Nordisk Råvara Webshop (Sweden) — Target: Consumers, restaurants, caterers, wholesalers, food businesses
Relio Digitális Piactér (Hungary) — Target: Farmers, consumers, community groups, market organizers

3. Marketing & Customer Insight

Google Analytics (International) — Target: Businesses, producer organisations, retailers, website administrators
LimeSurvey (International) — Target: Researchers, organisations, producer groups, public institutions
SurveyMonkey (International) — Target: Businesses, NGOs, researchers, marketing professionals

4. Logistics & Deliveries

mPmC Shared Route-Planning Prototype (France) — Target: Farmers, producer groups, local food networks
OptimoRoute (International) — Target: Food distributors, producer groups, delivery companies, retailers
Routific (International) — Target: SMEs, food distributors, retailers, producer organisations
Onfleet (International) — Target: Delivery services, retailers, food businesses, producer organisations

1. Information & consumer engagement

Tools to help consumers discover biodiversity-based foods, understand their value and make more informed food choices.

Open Food Facts (international)

Open Food Facts is a collaborative food database and mobile application that allows consumers to access detailed product information by scanning barcodes. Through DIVINFOOD, the platform has integrated information on neglected and underutilised crops (NUCs), making it possible to identify products containing these ingredients. A dedicated biodiversity information panel explains the importance of crop diversity and its contribution to more resilient food systems. The information is also accessible through the Open Food Facts database and API, allowing other applications to reuse it.

Slow Food Around You – Discover Biodiversity (Italy)

Slow Food Around You is a mobile application developed by Slow Food Italia to help users discover local food producers, restaurants, markets and initiatives promoting traditional food heritage and biodiversity. Through geolocated information, users can explore food destinations, learn about regional specialities and connect with the people behind local food systems. The application contributes to the visibility of traditional products and lesser-known crops, encouraging consumers to discover and support food biodiversity in their own regions or while travelling.

2. Online sales & professional sourcing

Digital marketplaces and sales platforms connecting producers, food businesses and consumers while facilitating the commercialisation of diverse crops and local food products.

Open Food Network (International)

Open Food Network is an open-source e-commerce platform designed to support local food systems and short supply chains. It enables farmers and food businesses to create online shops and allows producer groups to establish collective marketplaces. Its functionalities include product catalogues, order management, payments and the organisation of collection or delivery arrangements. Through DIVINFOOD, the platform improved product management, catalogue organisation and coordination between online and physical sales channels. Additional developments aim to make crop diversity more visible by grouping lesser-known varieties under familiar product categories and providing detailed information about their characteristics, origins and uses.

Mes producteurs, mes cuisiniers (mPmC) (France)

Mes producteurs, mes cuisiniers (mPmC) is an information and sales platform connecting producers and processors with chefs, canteens, retailers and other professional buyers. Within DIVINFOOD, its search functionality was improved to identify suppliers working with neglected and underutilised crops, even when their products are temporarily unavailable. The platform is also developing additional functionalities for its PoPS distribution hubs to improve access to information about stock levels and product availability. These developments aim to facilitate professional sourcing and strengthen cooperation within local food supply chains.

Shopify (International)

Shopify is an e-commerce platform that enables producers, processors and food businesses to create and manage their own online stores. It provides tools for product catalogues, payments, order management, website design and digital marketing. Businesses selling biodiversity-based products can use Shopify to create dedicated product pages, communicate about the origins and characteristics of lesser-known crops and share recipes or producer stories. Its flexibility makes it suitable for developing an independent online sales channel, although businesses must organise their own marketing and customer acquisition.

Cagette.net (France)

Cagette.net is an online platform designed to facilitate direct sales and collective organisation within short food supply chains. It allows producers and local groups to publish product catalogues, collect customer orders and organise distribution through local collection points. Its model supports cooperation between farmers and helps consumers access seasonal products directly from participating producers. For biodiversity-based food businesses, Cagette.net offers opportunities to market small quantities of traditional varieties and lesser-known crops through established local distribution networks.

Socleo (France)

Socleo is a commercial management platform designed for short food supply chains and collective producer organisations. It offers functionalities for managing product catalogues, customer orders, stock, invoicing, payments and distribution. These tools help producers coordinate their commercial activities and simplify the management of diversified product ranges. Socleo is particularly relevant for producer groups and food hubs working with seasonal products and small production volumes, as it can reduce administrative complexity and facilitate collective marketing and distribution.

local.bio (France)

local.bio is a digital platform supporting direct sales between organic producers and consumers through online ordering and local collection arrangements. Producers can present their seasonal products, while customers can order directly from participating farms. Its model facilitates the organisation of local distribution and helps small producers maintain direct relationships with their customers. For biodiversity-based food businesses, local.bio provides an opportunity to market diversified seasonal products, including traditional varieties and lesser-known crops, through existing local food networks.

Pourdebon (France)

Pourdebon is a French online marketplace connecting consumers with selected food producers across France. The platform enables farmers and artisanal food businesses to sell their products online, supported by producer profiles, detailed product descriptions and delivery services. Its emphasis on producer identity, geographical origin and regional specialities can help businesses communicate the distinctive characteristics of their products. For producers working with biodiversity-based foods, Pourdebon offers an example of how online marketplaces can reach consumers beyond traditional local sales channels.

PROVE (Portugal)

PROVE is a Portuguese initiative connecting small agricultural producers with consumers through regular baskets of fresh, seasonal products. Its model supports direct relationships between farmers and households while facilitating collective organisation and local distribution. By combining products from different farms, PROVE can improve market access for smaller producers and encourage diversified agricultural production. Its basket-based approach also creates opportunities to introduce consumers to traditional varieties and lesser-known crops, accompanied by information about their origins and culinary uses.

Nordisk Råvara Webshop (Sweden)

Nordisk Råvara is a Swedish company and DIVINFOOD partner specialising in traditional and underutilised Nordic crops. Its online shop markets products made from heritage cereals, legumes and other locally adapted crops while providing information about their origins, characteristics and culinary uses. By combining online sales with educational product descriptions, the webshop helps consumers and professional buyers discover ingredients that may be unfamiliar to them. It illustrates how specialised e-commerce can contribute to the commercialisation of agricultural biodiversity and the preservation of regional food heritage.

Relio Digitális Piactér (Hungary)

Relio Digitális Piactér is a Hungarian digital marketplace solution designed to support direct sales and community-based food distribution. Its software allows different organisations to establish and manage their own online marketplaces, creating opportunities for local producers to market their products collectively. This model can support regional food networks and facilitate consumer access to products from multiple suppliers. For biodiversity-based food initiatives, Relio offers possibilities for developing dedicated marketplaces that bring together traditional products, lesser-known crops and locally produced foods.

3. Marketing & Customer Insight

Tools to understand consumer behaviour, collect feedback and improve marketing strategies for biodiversity-based food products.

Google Analytics (International)

Google Analytics is a web analytics platform that helps organisations understand how visitors interact with their websites and online stores. It provides information about website traffic, visitor acquisition, user engagement and online purchasing journeys. Producers and food businesses can use these insights to evaluate their digital marketing activities, identify popular products and improve their online communication. For biodiversity-based products, Google Analytics can help assess the visibility of specific product pages and understand how consumers interact with educational content about lesser-known crops.

LimeSurvey (International)

LimeSurvey is an open-source online survey platform that enables organisations to design questionnaires, collect responses and analyse feedback. It offers different question formats, multilingual capabilities and flexible survey configurations, making it suitable for consumer research and participatory projects. Producers, researchers and food initiatives can use LimeSurvey to explore consumer perceptions of neglected and underutilised crops, investigate purchasing preferences and evaluate marketing messages. The resulting information can support the development of communication strategies and products adapted to consumer expectations.

SurveyMonkey (International)

SurveyMonkey is an online survey platform designed to help organisations collect and analyse feedback from customers and other stakeholders. It provides questionnaire templates, data collection tools and reporting functionalities that simplify the organisation of consumer surveys. Food businesses can use SurveyMonkey to evaluate customer satisfaction, investigate interest in unfamiliar products and test communication approaches. For biodiversity-based foods, it can help identify barriers to purchasing lesser-known crops and gather insights to improve product presentation, marketing campaigns and customer engagement.

4. Logistics & Deliveries

Tools to organise transport, optimise delivery routes and improve distribution within local and regional food supply chains.

OptimoRoute (International)

OptimoRoute is a route-planning and scheduling platform designed to help businesses organise and optimise delivery operations. It provides tools for planning multiple delivery stops, allocating vehicles and drivers, adjusting schedules and monitoring delivery activities. Producer groups and food distribution organisations can use these functionalities to improve the efficiency of their transport operations. For biodiversity-based food supply chains, OptimoRoute can help manage the logistical challenges associated with distributing small quantities of diverse products to multiple customers.

Routific (International)

Routific is a cloud-based route-optimisation platform that helps businesses plan and manage local deliveries. It organises delivery stops into efficient routes and provides tools to support dispatching and driver operations. Its functionalities can be useful for small food businesses, producer cooperatives and local food distribution networks managing multiple deliveries. By simplifying route planning and improving distribution organisation, Routific can help producers bring seasonal products and lesser-known crops to customers more efficiently.

Onfleet (International)

Onfleet is a delivery-management platform designed to help businesses coordinate last-mile distribution. It combines route optimisation, dispatch management, driver tracking, customer notifications and proof-of-delivery functionalities. These tools help organisations manage complex delivery operations and improve communication with customers throughout the distribution process. For food producers and businesses marketing biodiversity-based products, Onfleet can support reliable deliveries, particularly when distributing fresh foods or managing an increasing number of online orders.