ABOUT YEBO FRESH
Empowering growth through a proven combination of technology-driven distribution, market intelligence, and experienced field team expertise for all stakeholders in South Africa's General Trade sector.
Tech-Supported Growth for All
In December 2024, Yebo Fresh joined forces with Smollan, marking a transformative new chapter in the future of General Trade. Together, we are setting a new benchmark for how businesses engage with independent retailers across South Africa: unlocking growth through smart technology, deep market insights, and unparalleled last-mile reach.
Yebo Fresh began in 2019 with a bold mission: to revolutionize food supply in South Africa's townships through technology and data-driven solutions. Co-founded by Jessica Boonstra (Founder & CEO) and British entrepreneur Stefan Allesch-Taylor, the company has evolved into a comprehensive market intelligence and distribution platform that creates value for all stakeholders in the ecosystem.
Today, we operate across six provinces, with a field team of over 220 dedicated agents and a network that connects over 55,000 township entrepreneurs to brands, suppliers, and service providers. Our solution combines cutting-edge technology with hands-on field expertise to empower businesses, retailers, and communities throughout the entire value chain.
A Smollan Company: Powering Growth Through Partnership
By being part of Smollan, we benefit from:
Unmatched market reach and insights through Smollan's global partnerships, enabling deep integration across both modern and traditional trade landscapes nationwide and in over 65 countries across the globe.
Decades of retail and field execution expertise that help turn insights into tangible in-market results.
A shared vision of driving inclusive economic growth through innovation and deep local relationships.
This alliance allows us to supercharge our ability to digitize the general trade landscape and support entrepreneurs with even more robust tools, intelligence, and infrastructure.
Smollan's Ecosystem Advantage: Intelligence Meets Innovation
Yebo Fresh now stands alongside some of South Africa's most innovative and tech-forward retail intelligence businesses. Together, we create a synergistic powerhouse for brands and partners looking to win in General Trade.
Argility
Specialists in enterprise retail software, Argility provides us with best-in-class systems for inventory management, fulfilment, and POS analytics, helping ensure that township retailers operate with the same precision as formal markets.
Trade Intelligence
South Africa's leading source of FMCG retail insights, Trade Intelligence empowers our partners with market research and strategic guidance, enabling smarter brand decisions in fragmented and fast-changing township economies.
DataOrbis
With world-class data analytics and visualisation tools, DataOrbis turns millions of GT data points into real-time dashboards and actionable insights, supporting everything from field operations to strategic market planning.
Loop
Loop delivers secure, seamless payment and digital finance solutions tailored to the informal market. With their tech, we optimise routing to minimise costs.
Together with these companies and Smollan's global infrastructure, Yebo Fresh is not only digitising general trade—we're redefining it. For our partners, this means:
- Faster route-to-market execution
- Sharper market visibility
- Integrated marketing, merchandising, and delivery capabilities
- Access to a trusted network of township traders at scale