Cape Town-based online retailer Yebo Fresh, which delivers food and household goods to communities and organisations, has raised a Series A funding round as it prepares to expand nationwide.
Launched in 2018 in the garage of founder Jessica Boonstra’s home, Yebo Fresh is an online shopping service for township communities, delivering groceries to areas that are generally unserved by most formal retailers.
The company has grown quickly, especially in the last few months in the wake of increased demand, and now occupies a 1,200sqm warehouse with over 35 full-time employees. It has now announced a Series A funding round to help it accelerate its growth.
Yebo Fresh’s funding comes from E4E, Mark Forrester, Dale Williams, and the founders of cars.co.za. The E4E partners were also investors in the startup’s seed round in September of last year.
Boonstra said the funding will be used to further build the Yebo Fresh brand, hire several “superstars”, optimise its systems and processes, and prepare for national expansion.
“We are very excited about the growth and the many learnings we have experienced as a company, especially in a year where there was such little hope due to the pandemic. Through the amazing partnerships we have formed this year, we are now able to implement further technology to serve our communities even better,” she said.
E4E managing partner Philani Sangweni said his company was proud to be playing a leading part in Yebo Fresh’s growth journey.
“Yebo Fresh aligns perfectly with our stated mission of growing startups that aren’t just good businesses but are also transformative and create jobs,” he said.
