Local Fruits for Sustainable Beverage Supply Chains

Abstract

The process of connecting local fruit growers with consumers, fostering sustainability, bolstering local economies, and facilitating access to fresh, wholesome food are all made possible by the short food supply chain (SFSC). The demand-supply imbalance in India sometimes results in an underdeveloped local fruit market. This chapter identifies mismatch between cultivators and consumers, suggesting action plan to improve alternative supply chains at a local level. These may foster local fruits supply chains connecting farmers to retailers. Considering local and indigenous fruits located in Maharashtra; 1000 households and ten food supply chain stakeholders were studied. Actors in the traditional fruit supply chain proposed strategies to cater to consumer preferences. Ten specialists in the food supply chain endorsed the findings and the fifteen measures that need to be changed between 2023 and 2030. By increasing the availability of local fruits on the market, this would assist growers and processors in making business plans for the future and in disclosing shifts in consumer preferences or market dynamics.