A newly launched online platform designed by a private company seeks to connect rural producers of organic food and homemade products with buyers, allowing shoppers to buy quality goods directly from the source.
The startup ‘Ba Salam’ (Persian for "hello") has listed over 1,600 producers of hand-made products and rural growers connecting them to potential buyers through a business-to-consumer website (basalam.ir).
It has a smartphone application, zoomit.ir reported. The app is available both for Android and iOS devices and can be downloaded from local app markets Cafe Bazaar and Sibapp.
Categorized in smart menus, customers can view more than 22,000 items made by local growers of organic food living mostly in rural areas.
The goods include foodstuff, handicrafts, apparel, in-home tools and herbs.
After picking the desired goods, customers pay online and receive it at their doorstep.
If the customer is not satisfied with the quality of the goods, the purchased items can be returned to Ba Salam for a refund within seven days.
Since home business owners from all around the country work with Ba Salam, in case of shopping multiple items from different producers, customers can choose to receive their items separately and directly from the source or to have all their stuff to be delivered at a one-time post. In the latter case, the purchased items initially are collected at a central office in Tehran, and then the goods are sent to the customer in a single package.
Ba Salam aims to create a ground for lesser-known artisans and producers, allowing them to promote their businesses easily and free of charge. The platform also removes dealers from the transactions, enabling producers to offer their products at more competitive prices.
