MARIA FERNANDA REYES
FARMX
BY Russell Nichols
Maria Fernanda Reyes has farming in her blood . The third-generation farmer grew up in Sonora , Mexico , learning the ways of the fields since she was 8 . With her ag tech startup , FarmX , she wants growers around the globe to reap greater possibilities through technology . “ My goal is to help them go digital without going bankrupt ,” Reyes says . Incorporated in Fairfield , FarmX is a cloud-based , business-to-business e-commerce platform that empowers farmers to sell their products directly to grocery chains , restaurants and other buyers . Opening these channels through an online marketplace will help growers drive productivity , reduce food waste and cut costs , Reyes says , noting that she plans to use blockchain to prevent food fraud and help with traceability . Reyes saw the best and worst of times on the farm . One year , her family ’ s cotton crop could be massive . Another year the entire yield might be destroyed by a hurricane . After visiting some 5,000 farms worldwide , Reyes created FarmX to disrupt the current agricultural model , which she says strips growers of their voice and power due to multiple brokers . The global pandemic has only made things worse for farmers because of challenges in the supply chain , she says . “ I interviewed 200 different farmers worldwide ,” she says . “ They don ’ t get anything for their crop and sometimes they don ’ t get paid .
There are seven people between them and the customer .” FarmX won the People ’ s Choice Award at the 2021 UC Davis Big Bang ! competition . Reyes was also selected by the Hispanic IT Executive Council for its HITEC 100 , an annual list of 100 influential Hispanic leaders in technology across the Americas . The startup seeks to raise $ 2 million with a focus on angel investors .
PHOTO COURTESY OF MARIA FERNANDA REYES
Farmerce . My backup name for the startup was ........................
a lawyer to If I could have any other job , I ’ d be ............................. protect farmers and farmworkers . ...............................................................................
The books that best represent my approach to business
“ Built to Last : Successful Habits of Visionary would be ...................................................................................
Companies ” by Jim Collins and Jerry I . Porras . ................................................................................................
doing it alone . My biggest fear about launching was .........................................
never let If I could give my younger self advice , it would be .................... anyone tell you you cannot do it . ................................................................................................
WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF FARMX ? “ My goal is to empower farmers of all colors and equalize opportunities and make sure farmers are no longer abused . Too many are not getting enough money for crops and going out of business . It is very sad .”
WHAT DOES THE WORLD NEED TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT FARMING ? “ My granddad used to say , ‘ Farming is a responsibility to the world , not a business .’ I try to relay that .”
For more on FarmX , read Russell Nichols ’ Startup of the Month column at comstocksmag . com .
130 comstocksmag . com | March 2022