How to grow your payments app with cassava and garri processors
By SendPay Business · · 2 min read
Cassava is a staple food for hundreds of millions of people, and much of it is processed by small businesses and women's groups. They buy fresh roots from nearby farmers, peel, grate, press and roast or dry them, and sell garri, fufu, flour or starch by the bag or bowl to traders, shops and market sellers. Almost every step is paid in cash, from farmers to workers to buyers. A payments app that lets processors pay farmers from a phone, take deposits for orders and get paid by traders can win these businesses, and every farmer and buyer they deal with sees your app.
Talk to cassava processors
Ask local cassava and garri processors:
- How do you pay farmers for fresh cassava roots?
- Who buys your garri, flour or fufu, and how do they pay?
- Do traders order ahead, and do they pay a deposit?
- How do you pay the people who help with peeling and roasting?
Pay farmers without carrying cash
Letting processors pay farmers by phone when the roots arrive means less cash on hand and a clear record of every load bought.
Take deposits for bulk orders
A payment link for a deposit on bags of garri or flour confirms the order and gives the processor money to buy more roots.
Grow through farmers and traders
Each processor buys from many farmers and sells to many traders. When the processor pays and gets paid through your app, both sides see it working.
Build it
Create your own financial platform.
Pick a template, name it, brand it, preview every page before you pay. Your brand, your users, your fees.
Build my platform →Questions people ask
What about crop buyers?
The crop buyers and produce aggregators guide covers buying maize, beans, coffee, cocoa and other crops from many small farmers and selling them on in bulk.
Crop buyers and produce aggregators →What about grain mills?
The grain mills and flour millers guide covers grinding grain for households and selling flour to shops and bakeries, mostly for small cash payments.
Grain mills and flour millers →Can I call it a bank?
In most countries "bank" is a protected word you can only use with a banking licence. Call it an account, a wallet, an app or a platform. The accounts and payments behind a SendPay Business platform are powered by licensed partners.
Is there a step-by-step plan I can follow?
Yes. The free launch checklist takes you from picking your people and naming your app to setting fees, going live and winning your first ten customers.
Digital bank app launch checklist →How do I start?
Pick a template, name it and preview every page before you pay. Your platform can be live on your own domain within 24 hours of confirmation.
Build my platform →Read next
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank, and does not take deposits; regulated services on the platforms are provided by licensed partners. PayPal, Patreon and Substack are named as reference points only and are not affiliated with SendPay Business.