The lockdowns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic made some household errands such as grocery shopping cumbersome with all the restrictions. is situation gave rise to community selling where goods from the producers were sold and delivered to the neighborhood. Brian Cu's wife, Kate, also practiced community selling by taking orders from her neighbors and selling fruits and vegetables at discounted prices. After witnessing this operation up close, Cu saw a business model that addressed communities' need for goods and livelihood during the challenging period.
In 2021, founders Brian Cu, Philippe Lorenzo, Bam Mejia, and Angelo Lee started Sarisuki, a social e-commerce platform that buys produce directly from farmers, creates sustainable opportunities for community sellers, and makes available everyday goods at affordable prices.
With the Sarisuki app, the virtual grocery store offers fresh produce with supermarket quality to consumers at a lower cost since they are sourced directly from the producers. These transactions allow consumers to enjoy the convenience of ordering online by having their purchases delivered to their doorstep, budding entrepreneurs to sell farm fresh produce at affordable prices, and farmers to market their produce efficiently and profit from their hard work. At Sarisuki, community sellers are welcomed, guided, and supported to improve their client services.
From its humble beginning and operations in Quezon City, Sarisuki now delivers in Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and parts of Metro Manila, Batangas, Quezon, and Cebu.
Through e-commerce, Sarisuki created a “sustainable and equitable” food system. This tech-driven innovation eases the problem of consumers buying overpriced farm goods while farmers and producers struggle to recoup their expenses and earn a living.
During its anniversary event last year, Sarisuki announced its goals of helping a million farmers and inspiring 500,000 new entrepreneurs for the next five years.
In March 2020, the social commerce startup raised US$10.7 million from regional and global investors such as Credit Saison Capital, Foxmont Capital Partners, Global Founders Capital, Kickstart Ventures, Openspace Ventures, JG Digital Equity Ventures, and Susquehanna International Group. By the end of the same year, an investment of $12.7 million was added by Kickstart Ventures, Openspace Ventures, and others, making their total funding at $24.8 million this January.
With its early success, Sarisuki will continuously work to reach its goals and expand its operations in offline channels.
In recognition of the unique platform of the social commerce provider, Sarisuki was included in the Forbes Asia 100 to Watch list under the Agriculture category.
Sarisuki is one of Manila Bulletin’s Newsmakers of the Year. The MB Newsmakers of the Year Awards is co-presented by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), GCash, SM Development Corporation, and The Medical City. This event is also supported by major partner SM Supermalls.