Tetra Pak presents virtual marketplace for F&B at Davos 2020

24 Jan 2020 --- Tetra Pak has unveiled the first full-scale virtual marketplace for the food and beverage (F&B) industry, at Davos 2020. The virtual marketplace boasts convenience and ease by making the purchasing of products faster and simpler for producers. It will initially host more than 300,000 spare parts and consumables from Tetra Pak and expand over time. Germany is the first country to launch the marketplace in January 2020, later expanding in selected countries in Europe and then globally.

“This is a completely new model and way of doing business for our industry. For the first time, we have a digital F&B marketplace at our fingertips,” says Klara Svedberg, Vice President, Part and Consumables Tetra Pak.

“This will transform the way we serve our customers by connecting F&B manufacturers with leading sellers across the world. By simplifying and speeding up processes, the virtual marketplace will make purchasing more cost-efficient via a one-stop-shop solution. We invite our customers to take full advantage of this platform and look forward to hearing about their experiences,” she adds.

The e-commerce platform is a step towards the future and was created using French software developer’s Mirakl Marketplace solutions. Beyond the initial offerings, Tetra Pak will be adding an additional 200,000 products for maintenance, repair and operations from vetted sellers, providing customers with access to a large variety of products.

Tetra Pak attended the World Economic Forum at Davos in collaboration with Mirakl to discuss the launch of the marketplace and its impact on the F&B sector.

The launch dramatically expands what Tetra Pak offers to its customers, the packaging behemoth says. The marketplace is available 24/7 and will host several vendors selling products within Safety & Security, Industrial Supplies, Cleaning Solutions and other vital areas for F&B production. The number and variety of products will continue to grow as more vendors join the marketplace.

The collaboration is the first time Mirakl will work within the F&B sector, providing a service that is expected to change how buyers and sellers operate, according to Tetra Pak.

“Marketplaces are taking over the world of e-commerce. It’s about creating a shopping destination where buyers can get everything they need. The F&B industry needs a platform that will allow it to catch up with other sectors. The combination of Tetra Pak’s F&B expertise and our digital solutions means we can enhance the way F&B manufacturers do business,” notes Phillipe Corrot, CEO of Mirakl.

“The marketplace perfectly combines a high-quality trusted company with modern technology. Schmeckthal chose to partner with Tetra Pak in their marketplace initiative as it is an opportunity for us to grow in new areas,” says Iris Schmeckthal, CEO, LAT&SGF GmbH, Schmeckthal Group, one of the vendors on Tetra Pak’s marketplace.

Online marketplace boom
E-commerce seems to be gaining ground, due to the ease of access and wide-ranging options it provides. As the world becomes more connected, industries such as packaging and F&B turn to e-commerce for traceability and convenience.

In this space, US-based organic chicken producer Perdue Farms launched a direct-to-consumer e-commerce website that packages orders in 100 percent recyclable foam insulated boxes. Moreover, its eSmart solutions service, Smurfit Kappa designed a unique packaging solution to enable Granja Mantiqueira, a Latin American egg provider, to enter the E-commerce channel. BillerudKorsnäs also introduced a paper specially designed for e-commerce bags. Coined Xpression E-Com, it provides a superior and direct substitute for single-use plastic mailing bags and other less efficient solutions.

In September 2019, Amcor became one of the founders of the newly established China E-commerce & Logistics Packaging Standard Alliance, an initiative by JD.com. The alliance also brought together six other well-known brands – Heinz, Procter & Gamble (P&G), Johnson & Johnson, Mengniu, Unilever and China Packaging Testing Centre.

Edited by Kristiana Lalou