«Wild Siberia» online: local manufacturer goes nationwide
What are the first associations that come to your mind when you hear about Siberia? Endless winter and wild nature, probably. But that genuine nature is amazingly generous with berries and herbs. Our partner and the owner of “Wild Siberia” food company the region was inspired by beauty and plentifulness of the region and now gives a chance to try organic products rich with natural vitamins.
Investments in nature
5 years ago Alexander Deyev, the owner of the company, started a community of firefighting volunteers. Every summer forest fires burn down millions of square feet with eatable plants, herbs and fruits. Initially, Alexander was mostly focused on preventing wildfires and saving the region. In 2017 in order to engage more people in the environmental project, he decided to offer a financial incentives to supporters.
«I understood that I should better engage local people into saving and protecting the woods. In 2018 our company «Wild Siberia» was launched — we buy raw materials from local individuals and businesses which harvest local wild plants. At the same time, gatherers become the main wildforest protectors, because they are interested in the annual harvests which are possible only if the nature is healthy.»
The idea was supported by private investors and after launch the company obtained a bank loan.
Think global, do local
The start was successful. Alexander executed his strategy focusing on local manufacturing capacities and resources. The company has opened a mobile pick-up point for buying berries in one of the villages near Irkutsk. Thus, all the products are made from Siberian berries, herbs, nuts and plants — the product is unique and demanded nationwide.
From the very beginning «Wild Siberia» sells its products both offline and online. The products were popular items at the local online-shop, were distributed in local hotels, restaurants and cafes and were favored by tourists. Well, 2020 has changed the story of the Siberian company.
Fighting the Virus Consequences
Due to the lockdown and precaution measures, the tourist season didn’t start, all the restaurants were closed. Alexander says, that the revenue has dropped by 70% in the Q1 2020 in comparison with Q1 2019. Difficulties didn’t stop the processes — the company has launched its own online store.
«We had to rethink our business approach. Before we worked only as B2B, only with other companies and now we sell directly to end-users. That allowed us to optimize order processing. We’ve partnered with delivery services and logistics companies. In the city of Irkutsk (where the office is located) the average delivery time is 45 (!) minutes.
It was important for us to provide our customers with preferable payment methods and scenarios. For example, delivery companies bring the order to the customer, at that moment the customer receives a link with the invoice and pays via his/her smartphone. Online-payment at the moment of receiving the order was one the features that were brought to us by Yandex.Checkout».
The core audience of «Wild Siberia» are people who prefer healthy and natural food. Despite hard times, Alexander plans to add new products for various types of customers, boost conversion within partner channels and maximize the audience reach. Yandex.Checkout has launched a support initiative for Russian small and medium businesses — an offering program that drives new clients to the vendors. «I’ve sent my query and my offer to the clients and from the first day the traffic has grown by 50–100 people every day», — said Alexander Deyev.
Global Plans
«Wild Siberia» plans to expand its presence at top online-platforms in Russia and start internationalization, alongside with adding new capacities. «I think, companies with a number of small retail brick-and-mortar stores will benefit in the future. However, profound online-store will be a must for a development», adds Alexander.
