During COVID-19, Wiley Webb and his wife embarked on a year-long journey to uncover the most pressing problems in our food system. He talked to people at over 70 farms and always heard they wanted more buyers. Major buyers told Webb they had wanted to find these farm suppliers but were unable to find them due to slow and opaque sourcing.
Webb decided to build on the missing pieces. “Despite trillions of dollars in trade and all the sophistication, food buyers are having a hard time finding and contracting new suppliers,” Webb said. “The core issue that prevents the level of transparency that our food system deserves is how difficult the availability issues combined with logistics are for all the items we eat and transport. That's what it means.
Webb founded Permanente as a B Corp in 2022 and launched the marketplace in 2023. The company aims to become a new type of food distributor, focused on connecting commercial buyers with farms that use regenerative farming practices. Repair soil, water, and plant systems or systems owned by diverse farmers. Buyers from major corporations browse Permanente to see if they can order something that's in season and locally grown. Ordering seasonal produce from such farms can help reduce distribution costs.
Of course, there is an AI perspective here as well. The company's AI layer helps predict what's in season at certain points in the year and how that fits into existing distribution and supply chains.
“It's the job of procurement professionals around the world to find and ensure access to better food at better prices,” Webb said. “We provide products that are customized to what companies are looking for.”
Permanent also helps facilitate custom growth deals. Webb said salad chain Sweetgreen used the platform to switch its source of sweet potatoes from large commercial farms to small, women-owned farms that plan to go organic within the next few years. .
Since its founding in 2023, the company has worked with 60 farms in California, 50% of which are owned by women or people of color, and has acquired 20 commercial customers. Some of our customers include well-known brands such as Sweetgreen, Broth Company, and Kettle and Fire, as well as large school districts such as Oakland and large universities.
The company just raised $3.7 million in a seed round led by Better Tomorrow Ventures with participation from Atman Capital, Autopilot, Gainels and others. Webb said the company plans to use the capital to strengthen its supply chain, sales and technology teams, and expand its supply chain across the United States. Although Permanent is primarily focused on the West Coast, particularly California, Webb said the company's reach is expanding and he is excited. It will be nationwide by 2027.
Although the company wants to promote regenerative and organic farming practices, Webb is realistic about where the food market is today and what supply and demand are. The company is turning away potential suppliers and keeping its definition of regenerative agriculture fairly loose.
“The term regeneration is broad enough, and our customers and the demands we serve are broad enough. We work with large commercial companies on many programs, but others Many of our programs work with very small Spanish-speaking immigrant entrepreneurs,” Webb said.
In the future, the company plans to add finance functions such as lending and cash flow management. But for now, Permanent is looking to expand its supply chain and footprint.
“We are thinking about scale and expansion by creating programs both local and remote, centered around the demands and unique needs of our customers,” Webb said. “Ultimately, we have the flexibility to optimize to our customers' needs to achieve the most competitive pricing, thereby developing supply and dismantling items in the process. It allows for differentiation.”