Case Study: Farmdrop achieves a peer-to-peer fresh-food marketplace delivering fresher, cheaper local produce and fair pay for producers with Spree Commerce

Farmdrop launches a Spree marketplace with fresh food

Farmdrop, founded by Ben Pugh to "Fix The Food Chain," is a peer‑to‑peer online farmers’ market that tackles the challenge of reconnecting small-scale producers with local customers while cutting out costly middlemen. The company’s goal is to deliver fresher, healthier food at lower prices and better trading terms for producers; its model and mission attracted a £3M investment and industry recognition.

To do this Farmdrop launched a Spree‑based marketplace built on Rails and a modern web stack, with postcode‑driven local browsing, delivery time slots, rich product stories, and dietary filters to make shopping simple. The platform has improved customer experience and producer margins—paying suppliers about 75% of the final retail price—and secured investor backing to expand hubs and scale its sustainable food‑supply model.

Farmdrop

Ben Pugh

Founder