Groups of small-scale farmers who have been relying on open-air markets to sell their produce can take advantage of Carrefour’s “Buy Kenya, Build Kenya” campaign, launched in 2018, to become official suppliers of the retail chain and increase their income.
Carrefour has opened the chance to registered groups of farmers in all parts of the country who are interested in producing quality farm produce to supply to their five stores in the country at The Hub in Karen, Two Rivers Mall, Thika Road Mall, The Junction and Sarit Centre.
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According to a study by researchers at Catholic Relief Services on Linking Smallholder Farmers to Markets, formal markets such as Carrefour tend to enable smallholder farmers to expand their production and incomes. This is because the markets give farmers a consistent source of income with clear market signals coming from the buyers.
Farmers who succeed in linking to formal markets also generally access more support services.
For farmers groups to become a Carrefour supplier, the retail chain has provided a supplier form on its website accessible to all interested groups. It requires details such as the name, phone contact, email, group name and the product they intend to supply.
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After submission, the group should wait for about six months, during which time their application is verified.
If they do not get a response within that time, they are advised to resend the application, or call through 0800221322 or visit Carrefour’s head office at Two Rivers Mall.
However, if the application goes through, the group is contacted by the firm on the way forward, which include finalising on supply contract.
A factor in winning such contracts will be the supermarkets’ needs for the product offered.
According to the retailer’s statistics, more than 99 per cent of the over 30,000 items in Carrefour stores are sourced from local suppliers, which ensures that the revenues trickle down to communities that are involved in the supply and produce to the retailer.
Of the fresh produce sold at Carrefour stores, almost all of it is sourced locally, with two-thirds coming to the supermarket’s outlets direct from the farm. Of the 35 fruits and vegetable suppliers working with Carrefour, 21 are growers who supply what they produce from their farms.
Twelve of the growers are very small-scale growers and indicate that they have increased their revenues and, on average, doubled the number of employees since they started working with Carrefour.
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“We always seek to uphold the most ethical and professional standards in our dealings. We treat our suppliers as partners and see our role as facilitators who enable our supplier access a wider market through our stores,” said Franck Moreau, Country Manager, at Majid Al Futtaim – Retail Kenya, which manages supplies to Carrefour.
However, according to the Catholic Relief Services study, for smallholders to work with formal market buyers such as Carrefour, they must comply with stringent quality standards and regular volume requirements, as well as be willing to accept that prices may be below those in the informa
Interested suppliers can reach carrefour through 0800221322 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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