What every agri-tech business needs to know to work with the agri-food supply chain
Scaling an agri-tech business requires more than innovative technology. It demands a deep understanding of the industry, clear communication of value and strategic partnerships that align with end-user needs.
On day one of our UK Agri-Tech Centre Growth Week, we spoke with Louisa Hogarty (Chief People & Impact Officer) and Emily Marshall (Sustainability & National Account Manager) from Noble Foods, a supplier to major retailers, who understands what it takes to turn innovation into something the market can adopt. Together, they unpacked industry expectations for agri-tech, its value across the supply chain and practical advice for agri-tech businesses working with large food suppliers.
Align with strategic priorities
For organisations like Noble Foods, strategy drives procurement decisions and adoption across the supply chain. Louisa explained that their impact strategy runs through to 2050, with measurable progress required every year. One key insight is that agri-tech businesses must understand where they fit within an organisation’s broader strategic goals. As Louisa advised, “solve a real problem and make it easy for us to sell it”.
Noble Foods focuses on carbon reduction, biodiversity enhancement and animal welfare improvements. These aren’t isolated initiatives but interconnected priorities that shape technology investment decisions. Emily shared two successful partnerships that illustrate this alignment.
- AgriSound provides bio-acoustic monitoring to quantify biodiversity on free-range sites, giving Noble Foods baseline data they can share with retail customers.
- Hutchinsons‘ TerraMap technology delivers comprehensive soil health data, supporting carbon and sustainability targets.
Both solutions provided tangible, measurable outcomes tied directly to strategic objectives and retailer reporting needs.
Communicate value through the chain
In agri-food supply chains, value must be communicated clearly at every level — farm managers, technical teams, commercial leads, category buyers and retailers. Emily emphasised that clear communication is non-negotiable: “A company being able to come to us with a really clear idea of what the project delivers in really simple terms, not assuming that anybody reading it is an expert in the field, makes everybody else’s life easier.”
This matters because Emily needs to sell projects internally for sign-off and externally to retail customers. Noble Foods works with major retailers who have their own sustainability targets. When an agri-tech solution can be easily communicated up the supply chain, it gains momentum.
Make it easy to re–tell your story:
- Develop clear explanations
- Create shareable materials
- Don’t just share data — tell a story with it
And, as Emily noted about AgriSound’s success, “don’t be scared to use social media” to build awareness and credibility.
The three adoption barriers in supply chains, and how to overcome them
Emily shared why some agri-tech partnerships don’t progress beyond initial conversations.
First, scalability and timelines matter: “If something is a fantastic idea but it’s going to take five years to get off the ground, five years to us is a really long time. We need to be starting work now.” Technology must be deployable across different farm sizes and geographies without extensive customisation.
Second, cost and ROI are critical. Despite being a large business, Noble Foods operates on tight budgets. However, collaborative funding through mechanisms like Innovate UK can open doors.
Third, operational disruption can be a dealbreaker. If implementing technology requires significant staff time without clear benefits, it won’t happen. Solutions must integrate seamlessly into existing workflows.
The opportunities ahead
Looking forward, Louisa and Emily highlighted a few major opportunities for agri-tech innovation.
From reactive to proactive operations
Louisa highlighted that better data capture and analysis will fundamentally change how farmers manage their operations: “Leveraging data to move from being reactive to proactive is going to be the biggest change. As farms gain more real‑time visibility, decision‑making can shift from responding to problems to predicting and preventing them.
Data quality and control
Data is becoming strategic IP: “One of the biggest benefits to organisations in the future is around the quality of your data and that IP. One of the things we’ve looked at in the past is, if we as a business can’t own that data and control that data, that is a red line for us.”
Nature and biodiversity reporting
Emily noted a significant shift in sustainability priorities. With retailers increasingly requiring reporting on nature and biodiversity outcomes, this emerging area presents substantial space for new solutions and thought leadership.
Exclusivity accelerates adoption
Offering time-limited exclusivity can secure early champions: “If I can say there’s an exclusivity period and we know that we’ll be first to market, it helps to get people on board.” In competitive markets, being the first to implement innovative tools can create immediate marketing advantages and deepen customer relationships.
Key takeaways for scaling agri-tech in supply chains:
- Align your technology with customers’ long-term sustainability commitments and strategic priorities
- Communicate clearly in jargon-free language that can be shared throughout the supply chain
- Ensure scalability across different farm types and geographies without extensive customisation
- Minimise operational disruption and clearly demonstrate ROI
- Address data ownership transparently and provide ongoing partnership support
- Consider time-limited exclusivity to accelerate adoption
- Explore collaborative funding mechanisms to reduce cost barriers
How the UK Agri-Tech Centre helps businesses become supply chain-ready
We support businesses across the agri-food supply chain validate and scale with:
- Real-world testbeds that mirror farm-to-retail workflows
- Farmer networks and end-user insight to shape market fit
- Data validation to provide accurate information
- Programmes like FASTA and our Agri-Tech Solution Sprints to help SMEs overcome technical and commercial challenges and move towards commercialisation
Listen to the full podcast here.
