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An Australian start-up has created a solution to the biggest challenge confronting pubs and bottleshops as they increasingly deal with a multitude of suppliers.

Kaddy is a new tech-enabled ordering and payments platform created by Rich Coombes and Mike Abbott, high school friends who both embarked on careers in corporate finance, before moving onto craft beverages and technology respectively.

Coombes, who has previously co-founded several beverages companies including Batlow Cider, Capital Brewing and Will & Co Coffee, says the recent proliferation of craft beverage producers necessitates a more streamlined approach to ordering and payments for their customers.

“To get access to the best and freshest products that today’s consumer demands, pubs and retailers are buying across multiple distribution channels, often with lots of direct to supplier business,” he says.

“Ordering from so many different suppliers is a messy and inefficient process that usually involves text messages, emails and phone calls, not to mention the time-consuming process of setting up a credit application for every individual supplier, each of which may have different trading terms and requirements.”

Kaddy is a simple web-based platform that enables pubs and bottleshops to easily access and place orders with an array of different suppliers, and administer their accounts, all in the one place. The technology is rapidly being adopted by some of the industry’s leading operators and pub groups including Applejack Hospitality Group, Mary’s Group and Camperdown Cellars Group.

“Rather than have ten, 20 or 100 different beer suppliers, for example, a venue can access their suppliers’ products with a single Kaddy account. It’s free to use for customers and they’re deriving a lot of value from it” says Coombes.

Complementing Coombes’ experience is that of co-founder, Mike Abbott, who previously co-founded Uber in Australia in 2012 and headed up its operations for Australia & New Zealand.

“From working closely with the Uber Eats team, I got a very clear sense of how difficult ordering and administration can be for hospitality businesses, and technology’s huge potential to make their processes so much more efficient,” Abbott says.

Kaddy has been developed by an in-house team of three software engineers, based on industry feedback about how a best practice ordering solution should operate.

“Building a custom solution in-house has given us the flexibility to build the features that are most important to our users,” says Abbott.

“It’s mobile web, which means it’s accessible both on a desktop and mobile phone, and very simple to use. We have intentionally made it lazy eyes, fat finger proof!”

Kaddy also offers major benefits for participating suppliers, with over 30 suppliers on board already. These include hugely popular local craft brewers such as Bentspoke Brewing Company, The Grifter Brewing Company, Two Birds Brewing Company and Endeavour Brewing Company.

“The suppliers we are working with are very highly regarded, but running an efficient back office and accounts receivable department is generally not what they love doing,” says Coombes.

Kaddy takes the stress and hassle away by providing this function for them, guaranteeing upfront payment, whilst also making their brands and portfolios visible to a larger audience.

“A supplier never has to send an invoice or chase a dollar of payment, they can focus on what they do best and love doing – making great products and building an amazing brand.”

Already up and running across NSW and ACT, Kaddy expects to be able to facilitate orders nationwide by the first quarter of 2020. Interested parties can express their interest by visiting www.kaddy.com.au.