The challenge
A fresh produce export business in Kenya was operating at the intersection of local agriculture and international trade — buying from farmers across Kenya, grading produce, filling containers, and selling to buyers in the Gulf and Europe. The complexity was significant: every batch had a different farm source, a different moisture content, a different grade mix, and a different buyer allocation.
Tracking this in spreadsheets meant the operations manager spent entire days updating records by hand. Supplier payment disputes were common. Export invoices took half a day to prepare. And there was always a nagging question: was the business actually profitable, or just busy?
How they use Maamul
Batch tracking from farm to container
Every harvest intake is logged as a batch — farm source, weight, date, and quality notes. As produce moves through grading, cold storage, and container packing, the system tracks it at each stage. Every kilogram is accounted for from the moment it arrives to the moment it ships.
Grade sorting with automatic allocation
After grading, Grade A and Grade B produce are allocated to specific buyers based on pre-agreed specifications. The system knows which buyer gets which grade at which price. Allocation is documented — no disputes about what was sent to whom.
Export invoicing in minutes
Once a container is packed and allocated, an export invoice is generated automatically — buyer details, product specifications, quantities, prices, payment terms, and banking details. What used to take half a day takes minutes.
M-Pesa for local supplier payments
Farmers and local aggregators are paid via M-Pesa as batches are confirmed received and graded. Payment is logged against the batch, the supplier record, and the books — simultaneously. No separate reconciliation needed.
“We used to have three different spreadsheets for suppliers, inventory, and invoicing. Reconciling them at month end took a week. Now it's one system and month end is just running a report.”
Fresh Produce Exporter · Kenya