The story so far.

In 2013, a shared passion for developing UK food security sparks the creation of Equilibrium Markets Ltd (EM) by entrepreneurs Rich Osborn, Lee Butler and Steve Osborn.

EM launches online retail and catering store Fresh-Range across the West of England region as a pilot venture to gain first-hand insight into food supplier and distributor operations.

The platform connects 10,000 buyers with more than 400 local producers, showcasing EM's early commitment to learning from the ground-up, supporting regional food ecosystems and facilitating the distribution of fresh, local produce. The technology behind Fresh-Range lays the foundation for what will later become AgileChain™.

EM is appointed by Bath and Northeast Somerset Council to co-develop a viable and compliant route to market for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to supply fresh produce to schools as part of the county’s local food strategy. 18 months of development work begins to combine the specific needs of a local authority-run catering service with distributor logistics needs, procurement regulation compliance and SME producer inclusion to supply the public sector catering market. The vision for Dynamic Food Procurement is born.

Building on the concept of Dynamic Food Procurement, EM invests heavily in further technology development to create a 2.0 iteration that addresses the dynamic procurement approaches needed to enable schools, universities, hospitals and care institutions to source fresh, local produce through shorter, transparent supply chains across a region.

This achievement led to EM being named a finalist in the Western Daily Press ‘Outstanding Contribution to Food’ awards category, as well as a finalist in the BBC Food & Farming Awards.

EM’s groundbreaking Dynamic Food Procurement pilot with Bath and North East Somerset Council proves transformative, with the program providing access for SME producers that had never previously successfully supplied the public sector. More than 60 schools enjoyed fresher produce from local farms and discovered that adding more short supply chains can bring down both the financial and environmental cost of food. The council reported a real cost of food reduction of 6% and measured the CO2e savings associated with fewer food miles. This led to The Guardian newspaper naming EM as “Food Tech Pioneers”.

Building on success to date, EM responds to a request from DEFRA to establish a Dynamic Food Procurement Advisory Board, chaired by the Depuy CEO of the Soil Association. This board unites key stakeholders from the NFU, DEFRA, and the Crown Commercial Service via a shared vision and coordinated approach for transforming public sector food procurement.

Recognition for EM’s tech also continued with the food publication Crumb’s awarding the company as “Best Revolutionary Food Technology” at their annual awards.

The success of the Bath & North East Somerset pilot is recognised by the council awarding EM with the "Green Business Leader of the Year" award ahead of hundreds of other companies in the county.

EM's work has also captured the attention of the British Government Cabinet Office procurement agency Crown Commercial Services (CCS), which announces plans to scale EM’s pilot nationwide.

The University of Bristol appoints EM for an 18-month pilot as it seeks to incorporate more local suppliers into their procurement. Pilot outcomes include “empowered decision making” for staff and improved sustainable packaging with reduced carbon emissions. EM also supplies the University of West of England and the University of Bath.

The proof of concept for Dynamic Food Procurement is validated by an EFRA committee government inquiry which highlights EM’s achievements and advocates for its model’s expansion across the UK. The policy director for the Soil Association herald’s EM’s tech as having “transformative potential”.

Recognising where impact can be scaled and to meet rising nationwide demand, EM closes its logistics and operational sites and fully pivots to focus soley on AgileChain technology provision as a B2B Software as a Service (SaaS) for operators in the farming, catering, food distribution and procurement sectors.

EM secures funding through InnovateUK and via the British Bank Future Fund to scale AgileChain’s capabilities. The National Food Strategy recognises the pilots led by EM in transforming food procurement and recommends Dynamic Food Procurement for broader role out.

EM announces partnership with Entegra, the group purchasing arm of Sodexo, to deliver technology and consultancy services. The partnership combines Entegra’s global purchasing capabilities with EM’s advanced technology and expertise in short supply chains.

The independent review commissioned by the government in 2023 specifies AgileChain as a pivotal platform to revolutionise public sector food procurement.

EM support enables Entegra to be awarded, and mobilise for, the Crown Commercial Service Buying Better Food and Drink Framework contract. AgileChain is appointed as the core tech provider. At launch, the framework receives an unprecedented expression of interest by public sector buyers across the UK.

The Soil Association announces its innovation partnership with EM to deploy AgileChain technology to deliver a new concept for its catering accreditation body called Food for Life Supply Chain+. Several local authority and hospital trust catering operations across the country request access.