Shadowfax’s Journey in Building a Strong Meat Supply Chain

Transforming Meat Supply Chain Management in India

The demand for meat and food delivery is rising globally, not just in traditional high-demand markets, but also in India. This surge calls for more robust and efficient seafood and meat supply chain management. Shadowfax, India’s largest crowdsourced logistics platform, has entered the meat supply chain space to transform it through tech-enabled solutions.

Challenges and Solutions in Meat Supply Chain Management

“Meat delivery involves a specialised method of logistics, where temperature control plays a critical role. Since our processes and systems are agile in nature, we were able to optimise operations in a short span and extend these solutions across the category,” says Saurabh Sharma, AVP — Business Development (Shadowfax NOW).

Streamlined Operations: From Source to Consumer

The Indian meat sector is witnessing steady growth. Increased transparency in quality, direct-to-consumer sales through online platforms, and contactless delivery have emerged as key focus areas. Several Indian startups have made significant progress in the seafood and meat industry.

Shadowfax has tailored its services to support this growing demand, enabling its clients to scale their businesses sustainably over the long term.

The first step in this journey was identifying critical gaps in the meat supply chain and developing viable solutions to address them.

Scaling the Meat Delivery Network

Shadowfax leveraged its existing food supply infrastructure to build a robust supply chain system for fish and meat delivery.

Charting the Course

Shadowfax launched its meat delivery services in Bengaluru, quickly scaling to 50,000 monthly orders. It then expanded to Hyderabad, Delhi, and Pune, surpassing 100,000 monthly orders across cities. Within just two months, a full-fledged meat supply chain network was established.

A key component of this process was training delivery personnel to handle cold-chain logistics using gel packs provided by merchants, while adhering to strict delivery timelines.

Streamlining Operations

Operations were optimised to ensure the seamless delivery of high-quality meat products. Clients manage meat processing, including cutting and blast freezing, while Shadowfax handles transportation and delivery.

The meat is transferred in sealed boxes with gel packs, delivered to retail outlets, and subsequently to end consumers. This ensures efficient management of both middle-mile and last-mile logistics.

Challenges in the Journey

Shadowfax faced a significant challenge at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the lockdown, meat delivery was not classified as an essential service, leading to disruptions.

To address this, Shadowfax implemented several measures:

• Reduced delivery timelines from origin to customer
• Conducted rider acquisition drives
• Trained delivery personnel on COVID-19 safety protocols
• Established a support fund for emergencies
• Partnered with government authorities to maintain operations

Technology as the Backbone

The entire system is powered by a unified technology infrastructure capable of managing multiple types of hyperlocal deliveries through a single API.

Currently, Shadowfax processes between 20,000 and 25,000 orders per day and continues to scale its operations to meet growing demand.