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CultivConnect a digital platform for farm-to-consumer food distribution
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O presente trabalho desenvolve o projeto CultivConnect, uma plataforma digital concebida para estabelecer uma ligação direta entre pequenos produtores agrícolas locais e consumidores urbanos, eliminando os intermediários que tornam as cadeias de distribuição tradicionais longas, dispendiosas e pouco transparentes. O objetivo central não se limita a encurtar a distância geográfica entre produção e consumo — pretende, acima de tudo, reconstituir uma relação de confiança entre quem cultiva e quem consome, melhorando simultaneamente a sustentabilidade económica dos agricultores e a qualidade dos alimentos que chegam à mesa dos cidadãos.
A investigação estrutura-se em torno de uma metodologia de plano de negócios, articulando a análise do mercado alimentar português, o estudo comparativo da concorrência, a definição de estratégias de marketing, distribuição e logística, e a elaboração de projeções financeiras fundamentadas. Os dados mobilizados provêm de fontes institucionais de referência — nomeadamente o Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), a Organização das Nações Unidas para a Alimentação e a Agricultura (FAO) e a Comissão Europeia — complementados pela análise de casos de plataformas semelhantes já em funcionamento noutros mercados europeus.
Os resultados projetados confirmam a viabilidade económica do modelo, evidenciando uma trajetória de crescimento consistente, a geração de fluxos de caixa positivos a médio prazo e um potencial de replicação significativo em mercados com estruturas agrárias e padrões de urbanização comparáveis, com destaque para a Tunísia. Em termos mais amplos, o projeto insere-se nas prioridades europeias de sustentabilidade alimentar, contribuindo para cadeias de abastecimento mais curtas, mais eficientes e menos dependentes de processos de distribuição intensivos em carbono.
This dissertation presents the development of CultivConnect, a digital platform built to forge a direct and transparent connection between small-scale local farmers and urban consumers — bypassing the intermediary layers that characterise conventional food distribution and that consistently erode both producer margins and product quality. The project's central ambition extends beyond logistical efficiency: it seeks to rebuild a relationship of accountability and trust between those who grow food and those who eat it, while addressing the growing consumer demand for fresh, locally sourced, and responsibly produced goods. The research is structured around a business plan methodology, integrating a thorough analysis of the Portuguese food retail market, a systematic benchmarking of existing competitors, the formulation of marketing, logistics, and distribution strategies, and the construction of grounded financial projections. The evidence base draws on data from recognised institutional sources — including the National Statistics Institute (INE), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the European Commission — as well as insights derived from case studies of analogous platforms operating across European markets. The findings confirm that the proposed model is economically sound, demonstrating a credible and sustained growth trajectory, the generation of positive cash flows within a realistic timeframe, and meaningful scalability potential. The business model is also well suited to replication in markets that share comparable agricultural structures and urbanisation dynamics — Tunisia being the most immediately promising candidate. At a broader level, CultivConnect contributes to the construction of shorter, more efficient, and lower-emission food supply chains, in direct alignment with European sustainability strategies and the Farm to Fork agenda.
This dissertation presents the development of CultivConnect, a digital platform built to forge a direct and transparent connection between small-scale local farmers and urban consumers — bypassing the intermediary layers that characterise conventional food distribution and that consistently erode both producer margins and product quality. The project's central ambition extends beyond logistical efficiency: it seeks to rebuild a relationship of accountability and trust between those who grow food and those who eat it, while addressing the growing consumer demand for fresh, locally sourced, and responsibly produced goods. The research is structured around a business plan methodology, integrating a thorough analysis of the Portuguese food retail market, a systematic benchmarking of existing competitors, the formulation of marketing, logistics, and distribution strategies, and the construction of grounded financial projections. The evidence base draws on data from recognised institutional sources — including the National Statistics Institute (INE), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the European Commission — as well as insights derived from case studies of analogous platforms operating across European markets. The findings confirm that the proposed model is economically sound, demonstrating a credible and sustained growth trajectory, the generation of positive cash flows within a realistic timeframe, and meaningful scalability potential. The business model is also well suited to replication in markets that share comparable agricultural structures and urbanisation dynamics — Tunisia being the most immediately promising candidate. At a broader level, CultivConnect contributes to the construction of shorter, more efficient, and lower-emission food supply chains, in direct alignment with European sustainability strategies and the Farm to Fork agenda.
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Cadeia curta de abastecimento Agricultura local Sustentabilidade Comércio eletrónico alimentar Inovação digital