Fresho—a market-leading order management platform that helps fresh food wholesalers operate more efficiently and better service their restaurant customers—announced the closing of its $17 million Series B funding round, bringing its total investment to $50 million.
This oversubscribed round included new and existing shareholders, led by Geoff Tarrant, Co-Founder and former Executive Chairman of Payapps (the global construction software firm acquired by Autodesk for $600 million). And Tarrant – who also served as director of ASX-listed Adbri – will join Fresho’s Board of Directors.
Founded in 2015 by James Andronis, drawing on 15 years of experience running one of Australia’s leading seafood wholesalers, and Huw Birrell, a technology entrepreneur with international finance expertise, Fresho has transformed how fresh food wholesalers and their restaurant customers work together. Plus, the platform recently celebrated processing its 30 millionth order since 2016, with 10 million orders in the past year alone.
Fresho’s platform fundamentally transformed how fresh food moves from supplier to restaurant kitchen. And the company’s technology directly addresses the industry’s unique challenges, where produce travels from farm or ocean to restaurant in days, prices fluctuate daily, and high-end restaurant customers demand perfection. By maintaining a closed marketplace model that protects and strengthens existing supplier-restaurant relationships, Fresho has earned the trust of leading wholesalers while digitizing its operations.
Fresho’s AI-based system now automatically converts incoming orders into structured data, giving restaurants direct access to live pricing and availability through its app. This transformation has eliminated unsociable working hours and dramatically improved order accuracy and processing speed.
The platform’s effectiveness is evident in its adoption by prestigious establishments, such as Michelin-starred venues such as Wild Honey within Sofitel St James in London, Cote and Le Bernardin in New York City, and leading restaurants like Bennelong and Cafe Sydney in Australia.
This new funding round will accelerate Fresho’s investment in AI and emerging technologies, while driving further growth in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. And the company will also establish on-ground presence in the US market in 2025, building on successful launches with customers in Texas, New York, and California over the past two years.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are pleased to have closed this round in a challenging fundraising environment. This speaks to the size of the opportunity, and to our record of consistent growth and capital management to date. Fresh food distribution has been traditionally slow to adopt technology, but a confluence of factors are causing this to change. These include margin pressures, skills shortages and questions of succession in family-owned firms. As a result, we are seeing unprecedented interest in how technology can drive efficient operations, better customer service, and improved work/life balance for owners and managers.”
– James Andronis, co-founder and CEO of Fresho
“This funding marks an exciting new phase for us as we double down on our commitment to reshape the fresh food supply chain with innovative tech. By investing in AI and emerging technologies, we’re not just enhancing operational efficiency; we’re enabling our customers to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market. As we expand across our existing markets and enter the US, our focus remains on pioneering solutions that help fresh food wholesalers deliver outstanding service with speed, precision, and insight.”
– Huw Birrell, co-founder and COO
“Finally after 12 years of trying to develop or buy a usable online system, we met the Fresho people and got what we always wanted. Our customers can now order and pay online – it’s super simple to use and has saved us heaps of time and money already.”
– Ali Ahment, Owner of Adams Fruit & Veg Wholesale in Worthing, UK
“As a shareholder for more than 5 years, I have seen the great business James, Huw and the Fresho team have built over that period. I am excited by the opportunity Fresho has to improve the way the fresh food industry operates. The software platform Fresho has built together with recent AI advancements will provide benefits for all participants in the fresh food market. I look forward to joining the board of Fresho as part of my further investment in the recently completed capital raising.”
– Geoff Tarrant, who led the funding round
