Catch of the Day

A Bahraini businessman has made access to the freshest foods available in the kingdom’s markets just a mouse click away with his new e-commerce venture.

Established in September this year, efood.bh is an online store which retails around 200 products – vegetables, fruits, fish, meat and chicken – that arrive in the wholesale market on the very same day.

The project is the brainchild of Jameel Ali Awachi, 29, a business management consultant and former Sacred Heart School student. He said: “I am offering the facility of delivering the freshest food available in the market to your doorstep.

“We are an online supermarket offering fresh food as per the requirements of every customer and not as per the minimum quantities that a wholesaler offers, which is usually in medium or large boxes.

 “Just as people can buy airline and cinema tickets online, they can now order for their fresh food requirements online and get it delivered at a suitable time the very next day.”

The idea of supplying the freshest foods came from Jameel’s love of catching and eating fresh fish.

He said: “I love everything about fish and, as a youngster, I was always toying with the idea of how to get the freshest fish on my table.

 “The only way to get fresh fish was either to wake up early and go to the Central Market or to go directly to the fishermen. However, since this usually involves buying in bulk, it can be an inconvenience for many people. So I came up with the idea for an online supermarket that delivers the freshest food available to your doorstep in the quantity you want.”

The online supermarket has signed contracts with meat, poultry, fruit and vegetable suppliers too, ensuring customers have a wide selection to choose from.

Jameel said: “We have signed a contract with the head office of Al Tanmiah Chicken in Saudi Arabia, which is one of the most popular brands in the market, to supply orders that can be as low as just one chicken a day.

“The toughest part was to sign an agreement with fish suppliers because we are literally selling ‘fish in the sea’. At the time of placing an order, the fish you want has probably not even been caught yet.”

efood.bh claim that they supply local fish caught on the same day, which can be risky because fishing in Bahrain waters is seasonal. Imported fish like salmon come from outside and are obtained directly from the suppliers.

Jameel added: “The only difference is that in the supermarket you have to buy the fish that is on the shelf or on the rack on ice. In our case what you will get is what has been delivered to the suppliers and has not been distributed yet.”

The online store is open for business every day except the Ashoora and Eid holidays when the Central Market is closed.

Operating from Salmabad, from four shops that have been fitted with fridges, stainless steel counters and a number of wash basins, staff weigh, pack and label food items and bundle them as per the orders for the day.

Orders of a minimum of BD5, that can include one bunch of herbs or even a single lobster, are delivered at a charge of 600fils during three time slots in a day. Jameel boasts of a regular clientele of over a hundred customers from across the kingdom including Amwaj, Riffa Views and Hamala.

He said: “We are very happy that about 90 per cent of our first time users have come back to place bigger orders.

“There are three time slots – 10am to noon, 2.30pm to 4.30pm and 6pm to 8pm – to suit everybody in Bahrain. The morning slot fits the housewives while the afternoon slot fits the government employees who are home during lunch hours. The evening slot fits the banks and private sector employees who finish around six in the evening.

“It is a simple set-up at the moment. We offer high-end quality products at competitive rates. The same blackberries that you find in a top-end supermarket are also sold by us because the supplier is the same. The only difference is the price advantage that we offer and the advantage of it being supplied to your home.”

To ensure freshness, no food is kept overnight and only orders placed before midnight are accepted for delivery.

Jameel hopes more products will be sold online as he believes that it will help to reduce congestion in the Seef area, especially at the weekends.

He said: “If you don’t live in Seef where four malls are located, it requires some travelling. Seef has the entertainment, malls and supermarkets and also contributes to heavy traffic in that part of town.”

Although it was challenging to change the mindsets of suppliers as well as local customers who are not used to online shopping, Jameel feels that his enterprise is full of business potential. He plans to expand this venture into every other type of food product and also expand into other parts of the Middle East.

He said: “We started by dealing in the freshest food because it is the most challenging. If we pass this test we can provide everything else.

“Our next step is to offer all food items including dairy, sugar, coffee, milk, bread and tea – anything that is eaten or drunk. The third step will be to offer ready-to-cook food.

“Bahrain is a very good testing ground because although it is small, it’s also a diverse market. You will definitely see efood expanding within a year into other Gulf countries with strategic partners.”

The online supermarket www.efood.bh accepts Master, Visa and B.E.N.E.F.I.T cards.