Fruitbox 64 - Giles Barker, KisanHub

Experience, instinct, maybe even just gut feeling – all of these things play an important part in helping fresh produce companies make strategic decisions.

But in a world where computers are able to collect and even interpret an increasing volume of potentially useful information relating to almost every single link in fruit and vegetable supply chains, perhaps nowadays a more analytical, data-focused approach to business makes more sense.

Giles Barker is chief executive of KisanHub, a company that has developed data analysis software specifically for the fresh produce sector. As Barker explains in the latest episode of Fruitbox, this platform allows produce companies to collect their data in one place and to analyse it, which apparently helps them boost their margins and improve relationships with customers.

“Fresh produce has been lagging behind other industries and I think it’s time to move it forward,” he says.

But the idea isn’t to replace the expertise that lies in the people who run fresh produce companies, Barker is keen to point out: “Gut feeling is something that you develop over many years of seeing the same thing happen, or different things happen each season, so you learn how to take decisions on the fly. Platforms like ours do something similar, the only difference is that the data doesn’t get forgotten. It’s always in the system and then you can make comparisons.”

During the conversation, Barker discusses the enduring importance of human involvement in data analysis, the prospects for connecting consumer and retail demand patterns with production information, and the need to open new opportunities by making agriculture a more digitally connected business.

Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in every week to hear exclusive interviews and expert analysis. Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce industry.