From Rainforest to Retail: How iHub Helps a Leading Agri-tech Group Deliver Wildly Fresh Brazil Nuts

The Brazil nut is a notoriously tough nut to crack. Both literally and figuratively.

Requiring an untouched Amazon rainforest ecosystem to fruit, harvesters must travel through dense rainforest by canoes or on foot to collect these nutrient rich nuts. Beyond harvesting challenges, Brazil nuts are also difficult to flavour due to their high oil content, preventing flavours from sticking well. For most food manufacturers, these obstacles make scaling production impractical.

But not for one Singapore-based Agri-tech Group. In 2024, they introduced the world’s first flavoured Brazil nut, transforming how the selenium-rich nut can be enjoyed. Today, their range includes chilli, smoked, chocolate dipped, and original varieties.

Central to its offering is a commitment to high-quality ingredients. One example is their chocolate-coated nuts which contain minimal preservatives compared to what you typically find in regular chocolates. “We only use a basic emulsifier and coating agent with no additional preservatives,” said their Senior Commercial Operations Executive. “So for us, maintaining a stable storage temperature is very important.”

This emphasis on quality makes distribution a critical factor. To preserve freshness, this client partners with iHub Solutions, a Singapore Food Agency certified logistics provider. iHub’s warehouse and vehicle fleet are equipped with humidity and temperature sensors that feed real-time data into its in-house developed Virtual Logistics System (VLS), allowing customers to monitor storage conditions at any time, anywhere.

“If a retailer came to us saying our product had melted, we know the error wouldn’t be on iHub’s side,” said the Senior Executive, citing confidence in the system’s reliability.

A Smarter Logistics Experience

Such high operational assurance is only possible through system-driven automated processes.

At iHub, orders are managed through the Virtual Logistics System (VLS), a platform that integrates order management, warehouse management, transport management, and business intelligence with associated dashboards. This centralized approach reduces reliance on fragmented communication methods and ensures consistent documentation.

“iHub having a platform ensures stability and accountability on both ends. That’s something I don’t see in a lot of other providers” said the Senior Executive. “In fact some of them just use What’sApp. Personally, I’m very particular when it comes to documentation. So this is one reason I believe iHub surpasses the benchmark as compared to other logistics companies.”

Instead of lengthy email threads and back-and-forth coordination, the VLS consolidates tasks into a single closed loop workflow. Functions such as setting expiry dates or verifying proof of delivery are automated and accessible in one place.

“The ease of pulling out reports is a big one for me, especially aging reports. Being able to easily retrieve reports that are constantly updated is great, especially since we have daily deliveries. With previous ERP systems, pulling out reports would take me around 10-15 minutes. But the VLS is almost instantaneous, so it’s really efficient on my end.” said the Senior Executive.

By eliminating delays and simplifying routine tasks, iHub’s VLS streamlines inefficient processes and frees up time for value-added work. Real-time reports take the guesswork out of forecasting and the anxiety out of operations.

Experience You Can Trust

In the food industry, the rules of the game are constantly changing. Different retailers impose varying requirements, and these can change from year to year. For this Agri-tech firm, this presents an ongoing challenge as their products are stocked across numerous grocery chains in Singapore.

On one occasion, a supermarket had abruptly revised its expiry requirements. Fortunately, their designated iHub Customer Management Executive flagged the change early, allowing them to take corrective action and avoid a rejected delivery.

“Our Customer Management Executive is very proactive and understands our business quite well. He’s really up to speed with the issues we’ve faced with different supermarkets,” said the Senior Executive. “It’s these small things that we really appreciate.”

According to her, having an experienced and approachable Customer Management team has made a significant difference in easing their operations, particularly when expanding into new retail partners.

For example, when this client began supplying to a wellness retail chain, they encountered an unexpected hurdle. “We were delivering to the transit areas and did not realise that a specific pass was required. For us, it was simply, ‘if it needs to be delivered then we’ll just drop it off,’” she said. Without prior knowledge of such requirements, operations could have been disrupted. However, the guidance from the Customer Management team, drawing on their experience with different retailers, helped them navigate these complexities smoothly.

Outsourcing to a logistics partner with deep industry expertise has allowed this client to stay ahead of changing requirements, giving them a peace of mind to focus on what matters most: growing their business.

Conclusion

As this client expands into more retail channels, its partnership with iHub remains a key driver of growth. The assurance that comes from greater visibility and control over their supply chain, combined with a trusted team of experts, has proven invaluable.

When others ask about their service provider, the Senior Commercial Operations Executive shared that saying they use iHub is “one of the things I’m really pleased about.”

With iHub Solutions, this client has gained the efficiency and confidence to scale, where precision logistics translates directly into product excellence, ensuring every bite is as exceptional as the system behind it.